Coincidence --- Bill Cipher x Reader
by Scoffman
Summary: Bill is a demon. But let's hope his "love" doesn't find that out.
1. Exposition

There was never a beginning. Bill didn't know when, how, why, or even _if_ he was created. He was like a book that lacked the first twenty pages. Self-awareness developed gradually, and only after he'd existed for quite some time did he come to the realization that he was in fact _alive._ His tortuous prolonged rise to consciousness meant that he had a very hazy past. His first memory was constantly changing as he recalled and forgot things about his early history. Nothing about it was concrete.  
He never had time to ponder, though. A new world laid in front of him, and he was there to bear witness to what would eventually be referred to as _life._ Bill, along with many other entities – he never learned the nature of them, and he had barely learned to recognize their presence – watched as the tangible plane was set forth before them. There were two distinct universes; the world of logic, and the world of chaos.  
The world of logic was entirely three dimensional, and contained rules of which Bill would never had been able to imagine. It consisted of matter, which was strange enough in itself. Substance was a mind-boggling concept at first, but Bill grew accustomed to it. There seemed to be laws that matter had to obey; such as virtual indestructability. Matter could never be destroyed, only converted. It could only be affected by energy of the same plane – which was limited to only a few forms – or other matter.  
But time was by far the strangest thing that Bill had ever come across. It set the universe out on a line, which was unheard of. Yet the other principles of the realm were equally as confusing. Physics, math, science… So many properties governed the universe to help keep it in line.  
The world of chaos had nothing to default back to. It was completely independent of the logical universe, but it still ran closely parallel to it. Energy ruled over this realm, and it was always in complete anarchy.  
The laws that applied to the adjacent world had no meaning. Everything existed as it was without question. There were no requirements, and no limits. One could do whatever they wished with blatant disregard for the plane they lived in. This realm was unbreakable.  
Bill resided in the anarchist universe, and happily so. He explored himself, learning the extents of his influence and power. He was surprised to find that, in comparison to the few other beings he was able to discern, he had quite a large amount of potential. The only form of power that existed in this place was the ability to think, and _oh,_ how Bill thought. His imagination was without limit, and by extension, so was his strength.  
For the longest time, his thoughts were erratic. He jumped from one thing to another as he came to terms with his own existence. He processed thousands of things at once, learning every crevice of the place he found himself in before observing the world that laid across from him.  
It was only a stone's throw away, but it was completely inaccessible. Bill could watch, but there was no way for him to take part in what happened. He had no matter about him, and the energy he was composed of had no meaning in the other universe. He could only observe in curiosity as… _interesting_ developments began to take place.  
For a while, things were boring. Matter reacted with itself, always abiding by the laws that dictated it. Things fell together like the pieces of a puzzle, and after a while planets had formed. A long amount of time went by – an insanely long amount. But Bill was okay with that, because he had nothing but time. There was really nothing to do in his universe aside from storing energy, which was what he did.  
Dominance among the other beings was a pointless idea. Sure, at first there were disagreements from those who resided in the realm, but they were resolved with time. They were all more or less stuck there, trapped within their existences with no foreseeable way out. Power was temporary and pointless, as they all had come to awareness with the same amount of influence that they would have for the duration of their infinite lives. Bill had just happened to get lucky, as he was one of the sharper tools in the shed. He was able to live as he wanted, pondering why he, along with the two universes, even existed.  
Then something really strange came along.  
Life had been apparent in the other universe for a long time. Biology was a rudimentary subject in comparison to the many other secrets that the realm held. Bill had been learning about time and how to properly observe it when it happened. Intelligence.  
The first organism in the world came to awareness, just as Bill and the other beings had. Bill could feel the exact moment when it happened, and it sent chills down his spine. All he could do was watch as a weak and fragile bundle of elements - a _human,_ as they would eventually be called – stumbled about and began to develop comprehension.  
Humans had existed for a while, but Bill had never really thought about them before. They were nothing more than the bacteria that teemed in the dark reaches of the universe, as they ran on the simple instincts of their survival.  
But humans were the first to surpass their basic sets of natural compulsion. Bill watched as this person began to think about more than his next meal. The human began to ponder about his own existence, and in that simple action, it transcended the levels of other simple organisms. It had found life just as Bill had.  
But the moment passed, and the human went about its way as if nothing had happened. It was once again focused on its own survival, and in sustaining the life that would inevitably end. That was the difference between Bill and it. The human was made of matter and governed by logic, which inhibited its thought process. Bill was free, and had the ultimate mental capacity.  
Yet the thought of something in the other universe gaining intelligence was frightening. Bill watched in concern as the humans progressed, becoming more and more advanced as a race. They had a massive amount of potential, but they were too stupid to recognize it. Each one was concerned with themselves as an individual, and therefore bound to live a worthless and useless life. For a while Bill was able to relax with this realization. He held power that the humans could never dream of, and he would remain above them for as long as they existed. They weren't even aware that there was more beyond their own planet. They were quite literally the most stupid form of intelligence that Bill had ever come across, and he was reassured by that.  
But then they began to dream.  
Bill was caught off guard when he looked into the future. He had learned how to observe time almost as if it was matter, and was now he able to watch the other universe at any point in time. Sure, Bill had seen some pretty miraculous things, but he never could have anticipated that one of the imbecile apes had actually managed to cross over into his realm.  
It happened when it was sleeping. The group of neuron connections known as the human brain began to act strangely, and the consciousness of the person broke through the wall separating it from the world beyond. It was transported straight to the universe of anarchy, where everything was controlled by imagination.  
It was then that Bill came to a realization about the humans. They were just like him, except younger. They too were beings of pure energy, but they were trapped within a useless body that inevitably failed. This explained why they were able to progress so quickly, and develop a competent thinking process. And maybe, just maybe, they could be able to eventually become like Bill himself.  
Bill didn't want that to happen. He enjoyed the way things were. If humans became like him, then how would their universe stay in balance? It could destroy itself, and with it, his. He watched the human's consciousness as it wondered about, seeing everything as it desired. It was finally free in the absence of logic, but it had yet to become aware. It was like Bill before he realized just what he was.  
Bill was able to scare it back to its own realm by making a few imaginary monsters. It was quick, easy, and painless. In the logical world the human awoke with a start, but then continued on with its life as if nothing had ever happened. But the fact that humans were on the path to enlightenment was frightening, and it was then that Bill came to a definite decision.  
He had to do something to stop this.


	2. Possession

As time wore on, Bill stored energy. He observed the humans wearily, watching the thought processes of every individual person for hundreds of years. His fears were slowly put to rest as he realized that the humans would never reach enlightenment on their own. They had so much potential, yet they were too stupid to realize their own abilities. They were too busy hating each other to see that if they worked together, they could overthrow the whole universal order.  
Humans were the only beings Bill had come across that had the ability to travel between the Mindscape and the logical world of their own accord. Because their minds were still connected to their frail, useless bodies during their dreams, they were provided with a quick and safe route back to their own plane. That meant that he couldn't hurt them when they came into his territory, but he could certainly scare them back to theirs.  
Eventually, Bill became a sort of nightmare-maker. Whenever a human wondered a bit too far into the Mindscape during one of their dreams, Bill would frighten them back into the world of logic. They would wake up and eventually forget about the whole experience. It was useful in the sense that it kept the humans from learning too much, and it provided Bill with a form of entertainment.  
But watching them destroy each other was equally as amusing. The sheer amount of hate that they contained for each other was hilarious – they were all immature little children! They all shared the same planet, but they still fought over land and resources. They killed each other simply because they couldn't agree over things that didn't even matter, like religion. Instead of working to build each other up and advance as a race, each individual toiled away to gain power for themselves so that they might bring someone else down.  
That was why they would never be a threat to Bill, nor the other entities that naturally existed in the mindscape. Sure, there were a few times when they appeared to come together and realize what they had to do as a race, but those moments were few and far in between, and they always came to a swift conclusion when they focused on their own survival once more.  
As time advanced, Bill became bored. He had saved enough energy to last him millennia, and he'd grown weary of observing the never-ending stupidity of humans. That was how decided that he'd perform an experiment of sorts.  
A quick-witted young lad came to the Mindscape one day in his dreams. He wasn't a day past 20, and Bill had been observing him for his whole life. His name was Ruben, but that wasn't important. What was interesting was the fact that the kid was a genius. He had graduated at the top of his class, and was accepted into a reputable university. He was studying philosophy, a useless profession. He was the kind of guy who was always reading, and it appeared that his whole life had been a quest of knowledge.  
Bill was about to give that knowledge to him.  
Ruben was going about his dream as normal, tucked away in his own little patch of Mindscape that formed his subconscious. Bill was able to enter his mind with ease. He quickly blew Ruben out of his own dream, which had been boring and insignificant. Bill cleared the boy's mind, and approached him. "You there, human! You've been searching for answers to all of life's problems for years, right?"  
Ruben stared at Bill in complete confusion. It was evident that he had never seen anything like him, and his puny mind was having difficulty processing Bill's presence. This caused Bill to sigh, and he decided to help him along a little.  
"You're a philosopher, aren't you? Geez, I thought you'd be happy to be offered the secrets of the universe.." Bill paused before continuing, "Look, I'm offering you something that no other human has received. I know more than what you could imagine, and I'm prepared to give that knowledge to you, if you give me a small token in return. We can work out the details later, okay?"  
Ruben was still bewildered, but he was eager to accept the offer. Everyone knows that humans aren't in the clearest state of mind when they're dreaming, which was probably why it was so easy to fool him. As soon as Bill shook hands with the kid, he was doomed.  
Bill transferred everything that he knew to the kid at once. Logic, and all its uselessness, the lack of it in the Mindscape, the foolishness of humans, how worthless his own life was… All of it was too much information for a human to handle. His consciousness quickly disintegrated. Bill watched as Ruben held both hands to his head, screaming as his entire being was torn apart. Within moments he was reduced to wisps of energy, which Bill quickly absorbed.  
Now the real experiment could begin. A functioning human body rested down there in the logical world without a consciousness tied to it. It was there for the taking, and Bill wasted no time in claiming ownership of it.

Bill woke up in the bed of a small college dorm room. His eyes flew open, and he stared at the ceiling in amazement. He knew that the transition from existing as an abstract being to becoming a creature of the logical world would be strange, but he never could have imagined that it felt like _this._ The whole concept of feeling was new to him, and it was completely overwhelming. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins, his heart beating within his chest, the oxygen within his lungs, and the thousands of chemical reactions occurring within every inch of his body at that very second. He could feel every individual cell that made up the bag of flesh he called a body, each functioning like cogs and pins in a huge machine.  
His brain was set ablaze, each neuron like a piston as it worked to keep up with Bill's lightning-quick thought process. His extensive mental abilities were taking over, turning Ruben's puddy-like brain into a masterpiece. A splitting pain came through his skull, and Bill cringed. Pain. It was the sharpest feeling of all, and it doubled the previous affects his body had on him. Bill felt even more alive as his breathing quickened and his hands came up to his temples.  
He could touch. He nearly panicked upon the sensation of his skin brushing against itself. It was completely foreign, but exciting nonetheless. He took a few deep breaths, and found a chuckle rising in his throat. He could feel e _verything._ His own weight being pulled towards the earth from gravity, the air entering his throat, the atmosphere weighing down upon him from thousands of miles up, and the vastness of space beyond. He was a fleck of dust in comparison, but he didn't mind.  
Bill rose and jumped out of bed. The jolts of electricity that his brain sent to control his limbs felt like fire. His chuckle turned into a laugh which grew and grew until he was nearly on the floor. It felt so good to laugh, especially since he'd never experienced it before. He continued his mad, hysterical laughter for nearly half an hour before forcing it back down to a giggle. He rose and ran to the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror just to further affirm that he was in fact human.  
Ruben's blonde hair was shaggy and messy, like a bird's nest. His amber eyes had dark circles beneath them from the abundance of late-night studying he'd been doing for finals. His tall, lanky stature was slim and weak, but Bill could fix that up later. He didn't travel to a different plane for athleticism. Bill observed his eyes for a few moments, then saw that something was off.  
One of his eyes had become duller than the other. When Bill closed the dull eye, his vision became sharper. When he closed the normal eye, he could see into the Mindscape. He chuckled as he looked upwards, holding one eye closed as he waved to the other beings that were watching him in jealousy. "Hah!" He began to giggle once more, too giddy to keep from it. This was absolutely grand.  
Bill rummaged through the medicine cabinet and began to fix himself up. He combed his hair and trimmed it with some scissors, creating a rather amazing hairstyle within ten minutes. He couldn't do very much to conceal the bags beneath his eyes – Ruben, being a guy, didn't really invest in makeup – but that was alright. He changed out of Ruben's pajamas and into casual wear, which consisted of old jeans and a hoodie that bore the logo of the college he attended.  
Bill looked at the outfit in the mirror and tsked quietly. This wouldn't do at all. He turned on his heel and picked up Ruben's wallet, which luckily wasn't short on money since he was from a wealthy line of lawyers. Despite Ruben's intellect, he really was the black sheep of his family. How convenient! Figuring that he had enough cash to buy a decent outfit, Bill took it and left the dorm immediately.


	3. Makeover

Bill stared at himself in the mirror for a few long moments. He was wearing a golden yellow sundress, with black tights and converse shoes. He placed a hand on his chin, stroking it thoughtfully. Damn, he looked _good._ But it didn't feel right. He sighed as he began to remove the dress. This whole gender thing was really confusing him. Personally, he didn't see how what was between a person's legs affected what they should wear or how they should act, but apparently that was a major thing among humans.  
Bill could see the future, and he had seen the past. Humans always discriminated against each other, especially when it came to gender roles. They've done it in the past, and they would continue to do it in the foreseeable future. Bill had a banana, so society wouldn't allow him to do the same things as someone with a skiddlyboop. And, by the same rule, someone with a skiddlyboop couldn't do the same things as someone with a banana. Humans; they were so stupid. Bill figured that he might as well just cut off his banana so he could do whatever he wanted, but then society would see him as a weirdo.  
That was when he came to a realization. Why did he even care what they thought about him? He wasn't human! The thought caused another giggle to rise in his throat as he picked up the next outfit from the hook on the dressing room wall. He slipped out of the dress and tights before putting on the new outfit.  
It was snazzy, and he looked rather… How would a human put it? Sexy? Handsome? Bill pulled the yellow tailcoat on over his white collared shirt, and gazed at himself in the mirror. He wore black slacks and black oxford shoes that clicked when he walked. Tight black gloves covered his hands, and a top hat rested atop his head. He grinned at his own reflection. Oh, this would do just fine.  
After purchasing the clothes – including the dress and tights because Bill doesn't conform to the ideals of human gender roles – he walked back to his college dorm. There he changed into the white dress shirt, slacks, oxford shoes, and suspenders. He hung up the dress and tights in the closet, then laid the tailcoat out before him. It was missing something. Bill needed people to remember him when he walked by. Dressing so formally left an impression on its own, but he needed that extra… _pizazz._  
Luckily, Bill knew exactly what to add to it. He rummaged around and managed to find some fabric, as well as scissors and a needle. He didn't have much material to work with, but he was clever. Within ten minutes he had added to the tailcoat by sewing a small cape to the back with an eye upon it. It was identical to the singular eye he possessed in his abstract form, and it was absolutely perfect. Without further hesitation he donned the tailcoat and placed the hat upon his head.  
However, he was still missing something. He blinked rapidly, covering each of his eyes again. His blurry vision was getting irritating. He took the excess fabric and fashioned a black eye patch from it, then used it to cover his Midscape-seeing eye. He grinned as his vision sharpened yet again, and turned back to his room. He needed something else… He spotted a cane in the corner of the room.  
That's right, two years ago Ruben had broken a leg and used the cane in his late stages of recovery. Now it was useless, just sitting in the corner since Ruben had been too lazy to throw it out. Bill rushed over to it and grabbed it, brushing off the dust that had accumulated from its lack of use. He gripped it tightly in his right hand and gave it a small twirl. He chuckled again, exclaiming to himself, "Oh, this is grand!"  
He was going to do a small runway walk in the mirror when Ruben's phone vibrated loudly. Bill froze and turned, staring at the device on the desk. It began to emit the classic marimba tone, but no one was calling. No, it was an alarm. Bill walked over and picked the phone up, unlocking it and staring at the alarm label.  
 _Book club meeting in the library at 3:30._  
Bill blinked, staring down at the notification for a few long moments before turning the alarm off. He slipped the device into his pocket and pivoted on his heel, doing a sharp about face before walking over to Ruben's bag. Inside he found a copy of _As a Man Thinketh._ It wasn't very much of a book as it was a prolonged essay. Bill remembered the guy who published it, too. This would make for an interesting conversation.  
Bill smiled widely, deciding that he should at least play around a little bit before screwing up the human race. He did one last check of his appearance in the mirror, and only after he made sure that there was no trace of Ruben left, he walked outside and headed down to the library.  
Let the fun begin.


	4. Book Club

_As a Man Thinketh._ It was a 'new thought' book for its time. Sure, it was relatively old now, but it was pretty enjoyable to read about the ideas of the early 20th century. That and it was really an optimistic pick-me-up of a read. It wasn't too long either, so it was a perfect ice-breaker for the infant book club you had recently joined.  
It was the first meeting of your university's new book club. You had seen a flier in the library that announced its creation, and instructed you to read the essay before showing up to the first congregation. You tucked the thin piece of literature beneath your wrist and held it to your side as you walked towards the library. Upon entering the room you saw that a small group of about ten people had already gathered.  
You recognized a few of them as your classmates. You didn't have much free time away from class so you weren't familiar with most of them, but there was one person you knew as a friend. Candy sat on a plushy chair a bit away from the group, flipping through the thin novella with interest. She looked up from the literature, and a smile formed on her face as she gazed at you.  
You smiled in return and approached her when she gestured for you to sit next to her. You sat on an equally plushy chair, setting the book in your lap. You observed the people who had gathered for the meeting. They all appeared to be geeks to some degree. They were mostly upperclassmen, and were talking amongst themselves about magic or sci-fi shows.  
A timer went off on someone's phone. A guy who appeared to be about a year older than you picked it up and turned it off. "Okay, it's 3:30. I'm assuming everyone that's going to show up is here. So, welcome to the book club, you guys. I'm Jeff, and I'm the one that put this little group together." He smiled in a polite manner, and you suddenly didn't feel like such a freshman.  
"Sorry I'm late!" A voice came from the door. You looked up to see a tall, impeccably dressed guy walk into the library. He had neatly kept blonde hair, and amber eyes. Well, _eye._ He was wearing an eye patch over his right one. His oxford shoes clicked as he briskly walked to the small group of people. "I hope you haven't gotten too far along, have you?"  
"Um… No, not at all. We were just starting." Jeff said with a dumbfounded expression. The attire of this guy had thrown everyone off; his formal clothing was extremely out of place. He wore a yellow tailcoat – who wears tailcoats anymore? – along with black slacks. He even sported a top hat, for god's sake.  
"Oh, lovely!" He said as he sat down on a short couch. He sat with incredible posture – both feet flat on the ground, back erect and off the cushion behind him. He set his copy of the book on the seat next to him and folded his hands in his lap.  
"Well, as I was saying… I'm Jeff, and I'm the founder of this club. I guess we should start with introductions?" Jeff seemed a bit uncertain about his suggestion, but it appeared to go over well with the group.  
Introductions went around in a clockwise direction. Each person spoke their name, but you didn't hear them. You couldn't help but look at the newcomer in bewilderment. He was just so… strange. It wasn't just how he dressed, but how he carried himself. He appeared more attentive than anyone you had ever seen. Something about being around him gave you an odd feeling, and you couldn't help but think that he was sorely out of place.  
"Not that it's very important, but my name is Bill. Bill Cipher." He spoke when it came to be his turn. Cipher. That was the strangest surname you have ever heard. Even though it was odd and foreign to you, it had a strange ring. It was like you'd heard it before, but you were certain that you hadn't. Nay, it felt like you _should_ know it. But who on earth had the last name of a code?  
Silence fell over the group, and Bill turned his gaze to you. You were struck by unsettlement beneath his watch. Something was wrong with his eye, but you couldn't figure out what it was. The look he gave you just didn't seem natural.  
Then you realized that it was your turn.  
"Oh. I'm (f/n) (l/n)." You said quickly before sighing in relief upon everyone shifting their attention to Candy. Well, almost everyone. Bill kept his sights on you. You tried to ignore it by looking at the person who spoke after Candy, but your attempts were futile. After a few more turns you looked back at him, making eye contact.  
This did not deter Bill's overt staring. The fact that he seemed content maintaining eye contact made him further unnerving, and you quickly looked away.  
"Okay then, I'm glad to meet all of you." Jeff said after the last name was spoken, "So, I guess we should begin. I'm assuming that everyone has their copies of-"  
" _As a Man Thinketh._ Wow, what a great book, huh?" Bill interrupted, "I mean, it was the lengthiest explanation of karma I've ever seen, but still. It was pretty good for a human, I guess. It's too easily summarized, though. Think good thoughts, and good things will happen." Bill smiled widely, "Unfortunately, the universe doesn't work like that."  
Jeff opened his mouth to tell Bill how rude he was being, but the other interrupted him yet again. "Who wrote this again?" He said as he reached over and picked up the book, "James… Allen. Oh, old Jamey! I remember that guy! Wow, that guy really was the idealist. He really did believe the crap he wrote in here. You know what else he believed in? The afterlife! Hah!" Bill tossed the book onto the floor and crossed his legs. "You humans are entertaining, to say the least."  
No one spoke against him. For a few long seconds everyone just sat and stared at him in confusion. When it became apparent that they were all to bewildered to talk, Bill picked up where he left off.  
"Oh, you guys are no fun." His gaze swept over the small group before stopping on you. "I really did expect for the book club to offer more exciting banter. You guys are supposed to be the smart ones, right? Most kids your age spend their free time partying, but you losers didn't get invited and chose to do 'academic' things, like reading. I'd expect for your extra studying to pay off at least a little, but you humans are too stupid to learn. I'm going to go see if the professors are any better."  
Bill stood and abruptly walked out of the library. As he left he called back over his shoulder, "I'll see you in your nightmares, kids." 


	5. Once the Bell Has Rung, Class Has Begun

A/N: Possible trigger warnings. Don't take any of this too seriously, make good choices, stay in school, invest in gold, don't do drugs.

Bill walked down the hallway at an expeditious pace, his heels clacking sharply upon meeting the floor. The sound echoed down the empty hallway ominously. Classes were still in session, and the corridors were devoid of life. Bill didn't bother to look at the rooms he passed; he knew exactly where he wanted to go. A pleasant hum remained in the back of his head as his brain continued its adjustment. Neurons were connecting at a slower pace now, which signified that it was nearly finished. Bill could already think more clearly in the absence of Ruben's impulsive nature. College kids were the strangest creatures; caught in the late stages of or even post-puberty. They were essentially teenagers just left to their own devices.  
Perhaps that was why they were so dull. He was expecting some exciting back-and-forth with the book club – seeing as how they seemed studious enough to actually _read –_ but they were still too slow for Bill's rapid pace. He needed to talk to a real scholar; someone who actually knew what they were talking about.  
Bill walked into the large classroom without hesitation. The professor was in the middle of a lecture on a boring and useless topic. What Bill had to say was exceedingly more significant. He walked to the front of the room and leaned against the podium. "Hey there, Professor! You should sit down and relax. Take it easy! I've got this!"  
The professor – Benjamin was his name – turned to look at Bill with a bewildered expression. "Wha-"  
"Sit down at your nearest convenience. Or stand, I don't really don't care." Bill said flatly, "Just shut up and listen to what I have to say."  
Once the man was sufficiently shocked into silence, Bill looked at the crowd of students. There weren't many people enrolled in this philosophy class. Most were here to fulfill credit of some sort, because there were no jobs in philosophy aside from being a professor teaching philosophy. It was the most useless degree one could earn, yet it was so important.  
"So, philosophy students. You guys are the critical thinkers of the school. You're supposed to ask the big questions and consider the impossible, right? Well, I've a proposal for you!" Bill straightened up and folded his hands atop the podium, "How much was your tuition? Thirty, forty thousand dollars? You're going to get a bit more than what you paid for today, so feel free to take notes."  
"This is my classroom-" The professor spoke up, but Bill quickly silenced him with a sharp glare.  
"Now, as I was saying before I was so _rudely interrupted…"_ Bill slowly turned his gaze back to the students, "You're all a bunch of hypocrites. I'm sure you know that thoughts run the world. You wouldn't have signed up for this class if you underestimated the power of thinking. But every human on this planet is lying to themselves, and you're supposed to be the ticket out of that type of thinking. _Supposed to be._ Don't think too highly of yourselves; none of you deserve that title."  
Bill had offended a few people, including the professor. Unfortunately, offense wasn't enough. He could feel the overall confusion of the class, and he fed off of it. Knowing that he was able to puzzle them only spurred him on. "You call yourself scholars, yet you live in willful ignorance. You only decide to believe what's most convenient for you. Sure, you may _consider_ the less pleasant possibilities of life and death, but none of you truly _believe_ them, do you? None of you here can accept the truth; your puny minds can't handle it."  
Bill leaned forward, propping himself up on his forearms. "Every day you come here and debate over morals, over life and how it should be fulfilled, over god… None of it matters. You're all going to die worthless, regardless of what you do. Worthless idiots. And when you do, no one is going to care. Your pathetic existence is going to be wiped off the planet sooner or later, and the universe will continue to operate in your absence. The human life has no meaning – it's a _mistake._ If you really want to be philosophers, you'll accept that and move on."  
Now he'd really offended some people. The professor stood in protest, "That's insane! The human life has worth-"  
"BUT ONLY TO YOU, BEN!" Bill exclaimed loudly as he turned and stared at him with a mixed expression of amusement and vexation, "You may be the richest man in the world and amount to nothing! No matter what you do with your life, you're going to rot in the ground. You have a family, don't you Ben? A nice wife, and a little girl? Sure, they'll get sad over your death, but they'll die too, and no one will remember you. I hate to break it to you, but your life only matters to yourself."  
Bill turned and made a large sweeping gesture to the rest of the class, "The same goes for all of you! Your lives don't matter, you little freaks of nature! It's madness to continue them, so why don't you go jump off a building or blow your brains out? If you're really the students of logic you purport to be, you'll do it."  
Cue the pause for dramatic effect. No one spoke for the few moments in which Bill reset himself. "None of you are going to do it, are you? I don't blame you, you're humans. You lie to everyone, including yourselves. Your survival depends upon it. I'm sure you've heard that before, so I apologize for such a lengthy review. Now, ladies and gentleman, please hold on to your hats and try to keep up."  
Bill jogged over to the blackboard and picked up a marker. He began to draw a timeline. The beginning of it was labeled _Birth,_ and the ending was labeled _Death._ He drew a blue circle around the former and a red circle around the latter before turning to the class. "You humans think that time works like this, right? I think I heard some guy describe it as a river flowing forwards or something. But really, it looks like this." He erased the previous line and drew a purple circle.  
"Everything that will happen already has happened, and everything that has happened is still happening. There is no future, and there is no past. There is only the present. You guys are unborn, alive, and dead simultaneously, just like everything else here. Time – as you know it – doesn't exist, ladies and gentlemen. Everything is happening at once, but your human minds are slowing it down so you can make sense of it." Bill turned and addressed the class, "This explains why time is relative. Any questions?"  
"You're insane!" Someone in the back of the class exclaimed.  
"Sure I am, what's your point?" Bill didn't miss a beat, "I expected more from you. This younger generation knows that there are no moral facts. Sanity is a completely subjective concept."  
A guy in the second row raised his hand. Bill pointed to him, and said, "You there. Nice hand gesture, I like that. Beseech."  
"Are you saying that I'm dead?"  
Bill stared at the student blankly for a few long moments before answering. "Technically, yes. Thank you for being involved. That deserves a participation award."  
"So if I killed myself, would there be any ill effects?"  
"The universe will keep moving along, no one cares, we went over this, didn't we? Oh! Thanks for reminding me, I haven't told you guys about the Grandfather theory!" Bill began to preach once again, "Well, it's an altered version of the Grandfather theory. Let's say that there's a super-smart guy who figures out just how pointless his life is and somehow has access to time travel. Let's give this young chap a name…. How about Dipper? I like that. So, Dipper puts together a gun and goes back in time, where he commits suicide by killing his past self. But if Dipper died before ever putting the gun together, then who killed him? This paradox shows the fault in your human conceptions of time."  
"How does that relate to anything?!" The same student in the back shouted.  
"Everything is related, you idiot." Bill muttered, clearly growing irritated with the pupil, "Your reality is just a chain reaction. Your whole universe is Schrödinger's cat, and you're asking me how the Grandfather Theory relates to it. You're not the cheesiest dorito in the bag. Unlike Benny over here, who is finally getting it." Bill said as he glanced over at the professor, who was wearing a sober expression. The man's sudden unsettlement was satisfying to Bill. He had successfully made the man rethink his life, and forced him to see just how bland it was. That was Bill's whole point for coming here in the first place; to make a human – even just one – see how idiotic they really were.  
"Well, my job here is done." Bill said as he walked towards the door, "Invest in gold, kids!" He called over his shoulder as he exited the classroom and left everyone wondering what had happened.


	6. Vertigo

A/N: Trigger warning. Maybe. Kind of. I don't know. It's late at night. Merp.

 _"Seven students committed group suicide early this morning at a state university…."_

You woke up at one in the morning to a loud _thud._ At first you brushed it off and tried to go back to sleep. It was probably just some kids egging a car outside. The girls' dorm wasn't located in the best neighborhood, unfortunately. The campus police would probably break them up soon.  
 _Thud, thud._  
You opened your eyes when two of the sounds came in quick repetition. They were louder than the first, and it didn't sound like a car getting egged.  
 _Thud._  
You sat up and turned to the window. Whatever it was, it was coming from outside. You were on the second floor, so it wouldn't be hard to see what was happening. You were in the process of standing when you saw a black mass fly past the window.  
 _Thud._  
A scream came from downstairs.

 _"Four males, aged 19, 20, 22, and 23, as well as three females, aged 21, 22, and 24, jumped from the top of one of the university's dorm buildings at approximately 1:15 a.m. this morning."_

You ran to the window and opened it hastily. You stared down at the ground to find five broken figures splayed out on the sidewalk below.  
"Get back!"  
You were taken aback by the sudden command, and you quickly retreated from the window. In an instant another mass of clothes flew by you, and you recognized that it was a person. He fell to the ground, his body bending at unnatural angles. _Thud._  
You approached the window once more, but with hesitance. You could see that another student – a girl dressed in dark pajamas – was standing on the front sidewalk. She'd positioned herself a good distance away from where the jumpers had landed, while still retaining a good angle to see those who remained. She was the one who'd warned you a few moments earlier.  
You stuck your head out of the window, looking towards the roof that laid many floors above you. You could make out the lone figure of another guy on the edge of the building. He appeared hesitant as he stared downwards.  
"Don't do it! Just back away!" The girl on the ground called up to him.  
You were about to join in, but you realized that this was one of the most delicate situations you'd ever have to deal with in your life.  
"NO!" The guy screamed down at the student, "I have to do this!"  
After a moment's contemplation, you decide to attempt to negotiate. "Why?" You called up to him, speaking each word with caution, "Why are you doing this?"  
The guy paused, standing on the edge of the roof for what seemed like an eternity. Just when you thought that he was going to back off, he answered you. "Because it doesn't matter!"  
With that he calmly stepped off the edge, and began to plummet downwards. You retreated back inside your room once more, watching as he fell past the window of the room next door.  
 _Thud._

 _"The reason for their jumping is unknown, and the students are unrelated aside from attending the same philosophy class. An investigation is ongoing, more on this story as it develops…"_  
The news anchor wore a solemn expression as she stared at the camera. A scrolling bar ran across the bottom of the screen, reading other significant headlines from the morning news. The woman's voice was the only thing that broke the silence of the common room. By this time everyone was in their room, trying to forget what had happened.  
The scene outside had been cleaned up long ago; someone called the cops after the last person jumped. For a while the dorm had been alive with girls milling about, crying, and asking questions. When all of the activity settled down and you found that you had no chance in hell of getting back to sleep, you retreated to the common room.  
The sun was just coming up, and with that came CNN. You couldn't change the channel, so you were forced to sit there and listen to the horrible news. The situation still seemed surreal. Seven students don't just jump from a tall building on a whim. Someone or something had to have influenced them. They were driven to suicide by something; that much was obvious. But what that was? That was the real question here.  
You stared at the screen with tired eyes. You'd changed out of pajamas and now wore jeans with a (fandom) tee shirt. The sky outside was getting lighter by the minute, but the luminescence of knowledge wasn't so easy to attain. God knows how long it would be until some answers came of this.  
Figuring that the situation was just too depressing and difficult to deal with, you decided to procrastinate by doing a bit of homework. It wasn't due until the end of the week, but now was as good of a time as ever to get it over with. The professors probably wouldn't assign much in the next few days because of this incident, and you could take advantage of that.  
You grabbed your binder and your wallet before heading to the small coffee shop that ran on campus. They always opened at the crack of dawn, so you were right on time. As you sat in the corner with your cup of joe and labored over some complex math problem, you found that the suicides were pushed to the back of your mind.  
Funny how the threat of failing a class can clear everything else away when you've almost reached your data limit and thus have to conserve your mobile internet usage. After an hour had passed you'd conquered five assignments and three cups of coffee. I should start to call you butter, because you, my friend, were on a roll.  
Everything was going great until a peculiar feeling set in. It was a familiar sense of unsettlement, but you couldn't figure out where or when you've felt it before. That was when a loud laughter bubbled up from two booths to your right.  
"Sir! Are you okay? That was scalding hot!" The waitress exclaimed.  
"Haha, I know! It feels great! Hey, can I get another one of those?" Bill looked up at the woman with a wide grin, his face and clothes covered with steaming coffee.


	7. Drinking Coffee Like a Person

When the news came, Bill was surprised. Not that they died, but that they comprehended his words. Or, well, they _tried_ to. The blonde sat on the edge of his bed, eyes flicking across the screen as the news panned out in front of him. A few girls came on screen, crying as they attempted to describe the scene that none of the cameras were early enough to catch. Bill observed them with a visible frown.  
"One of the other students… I don't know who she was- she was up on the second floor. She asked him why he was doing this." A girl who was still dressed in darkly-colored pajamas told a reporter, "And he answered, 'Because it doesn't matter.'"  
Bill sighed in exasperation. "That's not the point I was trying to make, you idiots." He muttered, as if the dead students could hear him, "That's not the point at all."  
He closed his laptop and stood before walking to the door. It was safe to say that his experiment was unsuccessful. But that was only a small deterrence. He still had all the wonders of being a human to look forward to. Bill grabbed his top hat and his cane before heading outside.  
It was early morning, and the sun was just beginning to rise. Blood still remained on the sidewalk where the students had landed. Bill could see it from where he stood across the street. The boys' dorm was adjacent to the girls', and Bill had always questioned that. Was it really the best idea to put a bunch of hormonal college kids so closely together? He glanced at the reddened cement and shrugged. Apparently it wasn't.  
Bill resumed his walk, going on his merry way to the coffee shop around the corner. It was a really good thing that they opened early, because Bill had been wanting to try it for a long while. Upon entering the shop, the waitress told him in a rather nonchalant manner to sit wherever he wanted. He gladly did so, choosing a booth against the far wall.  
Bill didn't observe the shop immediately. He took a few moments to daydream, thinking back to the class. He'd been so sure that none of the students had taken anything from his brief lesson. The professor clearly did, and that was enough for him. Why continue to bother trolling the beginners when he'd already bemused the master?  
But Bill had made a critical error. He hadn't given the students enough credit. Apparently a couple of them had actually dwelled upon what he'd said. He smiled a little at that realization. Hey, he was actually able to break through to a few of the imbeciles. Sure, it only partially so, but still. It was progress.  
The waitress came back to take his order, to which he responded, "A cup of coffee with everything." He didn't know what he wanted to put in it; it was too difficult to choose. Besides, who knew how long it would be until he was able to have a cup of joe again? He wanted to try it all so he wouldn't miss out on the experience later.  
The waitress appeared bewildered, but accepted the vague order nonetheless. She vanished within the kitchen, and Bill went back to pondering the situation. He regretted not being there to watch them die. He supposed that he could just look back in time and watch it like a movie, but it wouldn't be the same. Besides, it wasn't important. It had happened regardless of his presence, and the important thing was how Bill dealt with the aftermath.  
Now Bill had to think like a scientist. He had to use _logic,_ of all things. Who would have thought that he – a being so long independent of the laws this universe – would adhere to the thought of structure? Had Bill been told this a couple of millennia ago, he would have never believed it. But he was a long way from home, and logical thinking was the quickest way to get things done in a universe that operated upon it.  
The waitress set a mug of coffee down on his table. Bill quickly dismissed his previous train of thought to focus on the liquid. "Oh, thanks! I really needed this…" He paused to stare at the cup. Human coffee. How peculiar. "Heh, look at me." Bill murmured to himself, "I'm going to drink it like a person….!"  
Without any further hesitation, Bill lifted the mug to his face and took a huge gulp of the beverage. God knows how much sugar the mixture contained, especially considering that every type of creamer was put within it. It was still extremely hot, and it burned his throat like fire. Bill paused, savoring the agony. Pain was an amazing feeling. It slowed time down, forcing Bill to feel every second of it. Einstein once said, _When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity._  
Ol' Albert was right. This was Bill's first encounter with pain, and he couldn't get enough of it. Nothing made him feel more alive. He paused, staring at the hot liquid with wide eyes. Then he abruptly lifted the cup to his forehead and turned it over.  
The beverage scalded his whole face and neck. It soaked into his clothes and began to burn his chest and arms. It felt as if fire was spreading all over his body. Laughter rose from Bill's throat, growing louder with every passing second.  
"Sir! Are you okay? That was scalding hot!" The waitress exclaimed from a few tables away.  
"Haha, I know! It feels great!" Bill exclaimed, staring at her with a wide grin. "Hey, can I get another one of those?"  
The waitress stared at him in shock for an ill-defined amount of time before leaving to get the manager. It was clear that she didn't know how to deal with this. Bill didn't want to fool around with the manager, so he left some money on the table and stood to leave. But he noticed a familiar girl staring at him, and stopped.  
It was (y/n), from the book club. He could recall studying her in the library, and reading her like an open book. It was easy to read the minds of every human, hers included. But what he found there was a little more… interesting than what he usually came across.  
(y/n) was suspicious. If she wasn't yet, she would be soon. She could feel that something was up with him, and Bill took that as a threat. Although he knew that she had no chance in hell of finding out his true identity on her own – there's no possible way that a human would just have a lucky guess and decide that he's an astral being – she still had the potential to ruin his plans. He had to drive her off; put her down the exact opposite path. If even one human got to asking dangerous questions, god knows what would happen.  
Bill had to take preemptive action.  
"Oh, hey! (y/n)! Fancy meeting you here!" He exclaimed as he stopped by her table, "How's the book club going?"  
(y/n) stared up at him in confusion, but still answered. "It's okay, I guess."  
Bill grinned as he stared down at her. "Lovely, lovely! What're you doing there? Math homework? The answer is forty-two. Well, now that that's solved, come on! Walk with me!" He turned and began to walk away, not bothering to look back. He exited the restaurant, then set off down the sidewalk at a quick pace.  
(y/n) caught up in a matter of seconds, just as he had expected for her to. "Wait! Where are we going?" She said as she struggled to match his brisk pace.  
"Oh, you know. Just a walk. It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Bill said as he gestured towards the robin egg blue sky. All he had to do was confuse her with small talk long enough to hook her into a conversation. Then he could start the real distraction.  
Unfortunately, he wouldn't get the chance to. As he rounded the corner, he could see a crowd near the spot where the students had fallen. There were about two hundred people, all of whom were chanting, "Jump, jump, jump!"  
The professor stood at the edge of the roof.  
"Oh, for the love of-" Bill sighed as he stared up at him. "Ben, no.."  
"Why… Why are they encouraging him?!" (y/n) asked from beside him, clearly horrified.  
"Well," Bill said as he tore his gaze away from the man, "they didn't form a huge crowd to _not_ see someone jump. It's a little thing called deindividuation, look into it. But that doesn't matter right now." He shrugged off his coffee-stained tailcoat and straightened his top hat before running towards the building.  
Space was a simple concept, and Bill had learned to conquer it just as he did time. What should have taken him five minutes took five milliseconds. He was atop the roof in no time, standing next to the professor. "Oh, Ben, I thought that you'd be clever. Or at least a little smarter than your students. But look at you, stooping to their level. Pun intended."  
The professor stared at him in horror. "You! You made us think this way! You're the one that made us realize…" He looked over the edge again.  
"Realize…. What, exactly?" Bill pressed with a frown.  
"My life only matters to me. You said it yourself; I'm worthless. They were worthless too. Nothing matters, so why are we still here? It's only logical to end it now-"  
"You're an idiot. I gave you so many good things to go off of in that speech, and you pick out the worst possible bit to form this way off-track opinion. Ugh, just like a human." Bill scolded as he glared at Benjamin. The other turned and stared at him in surprise. "But-"  
"But nothing! You didn't pick up all of what I put down, now you're really going to make me throw the rest at you?! Such idiocy; how are you a _professor,_ of all things? Fine. As I've previously said, the human life is worthless trash, and a complete mistake. That's why you need to try to make something of it, you ding-dong!"  
Ben stared at him blankly with wide eyes. Instead of trying to interrupt as he did in the classroom, he listened intently.  
"Your life is an insignificant thing, just as every other human's is. That's why you should try to do something productive with it, and actually contribute to society. Every human on this planet has the wrong priorities, and I'm trying to make you get yours in shape. I gave you a completely different understanding of time, Ben. You could have easily done a little bit of studying on that. I guarantee you that if you had, you would have been set on the road to becoming the next Einstein. A hero to the science community. You could have contributed to the world by giving it something it would have operated on for the next few centuries. I see every variable, Ben. I know everything that was, is, will, and could have been. You could've been great, but you only saw half of my point and now you're going to willingly die worthless. Way to go." Bill clapped slowly as he turned and walked to the stairs. "Do us all a favor and come back off that ledge. Don't want you getting pushed over by a breeze or something."  
Ben hesitated. It was clear that he wasn't sure whether or not to trust Bill, but the wheels in his mind were clearly turning. After a few minutes, he succumbed and backed away from the ledge.


	8. A Walk

"Sorry about that interruption, (y/n). Shall we continue?" Bill said as he returned to your side. He appeared to be completely unfazed by the situation that had just occurred. It was as if everything was normal; all in a day's work. He took his coffee-stained jacket and threw it over his shoulder. Then he lifted his opposite arm, placing his hand on his hip. He raised his shoulder and angled his elbow towards you, smiling happily.  
You silently stared past him, watching as the professor he'd just saved was ushered in by the very people urging him to jump. The people seemed to regain their awareness, leading to a very emotional moment among all. It was so strange how they'd managed to forget all sense of individual identity while in the crowd. It was like they weren't even human, numb of what they were saying. What was that called again…?  
"It's deindividuation."  
You returned you gaze to the man who had just spoken, staring at him in confusion.  
Bill's smile faded and was replaced with an expression of slight irritation. "Deindividuation. That's what it's called. Don't think too much about it."  
He'd answered your question, but that was impossible. You'd never even voiced it. "How did you…" You trailed off, not sure how to ask him how he'd read your mind.  
"Ahem." Bill prodded you with his elbow before returning his hand to his hip.  
You hesitated before doing as he wanted. Linking your arm within his, you stared up at him in general bewilderment.  
"Thank you." Bill said before beginning to walk. He glanced around and took in the scenery as he went, appearing oddly affable. "I have to say, (y/n), you're pretty sharp."  
You weren't sure what was wrong with this man. He was certainly eccentric, but there was something more than that. You'd seen your fair share of outgoing and clever people. If anyone had a knack for being erratic, it was they. However, Bill didn't possess that common trait. Sure, some of the things he did appeared to be out of the blue, but he way he carried himself made everything seem oddly _deliberate._  
"Oh, uh, thanks…" You responded as you looked up at him. Boy, this guy was odd. He stood a good foot taller than you, so you had to lean your head back slightly in order to see him. In turn he looked down, making eye contact for a brief moment before staring ahead once more.  
"I hear you're pretty high-ranking for your class. Well done; that's stellar. You also like to read, which just adds onto it. I admire a woman of intellect." Bill said nonchalantly as he studied the leaves of a nearby tree. The two of you were nearing the edge of the campus, going along a wide walking path that lead parallel to a small wooded area. Bill smiled faintly and gazed back down to you. "Yes, I admire that very much indeed."  
Was he _hitting_ on you? The compliment made your cheeks burn. You were bemused, but oddly flattered. Speech failed you, but Bill continued effortlessly.  
"It really is nice out here." He sighed as he continued to guide you, his arm around yours. He gestured to the trees, which were adorned with lavish autumn colors. A few leaves fell from their delicate perches, descending with paper-like grace. "Lovely day for a stroll, yes?"  
"Yeah…" You murmured, watching the tree line as Bill slowly guided you past it. The path winded a bit, heading away from the woods and back towards the university. Bill continued down it, keeping the pace at his leisure.  
For a while, silence reigned. Bill seemed to be content with enjoying the walk, even humming a bit to himself. You were a bit awkward, having never been in this situation before. Who walked with linked arms anymore? You tried to enjoy it nonetheless, simply electing to go along with it. But there was one thing that you couldn't get off your mind.  
Bill was able to save the professor with ease, and he continued on as if it were a trivial matter. Saving someone's life was indeed a major feat, yet Bill simply discarded the situation. You hadn't heard much of what was said on the roof, but it had sounded like the professor was familiar with Bill. Since he was the teacher of the class from which the student committed suicide, did that mean that Bill held a connection with the killed students as well?  
Bill once again seemed to read your mind.  
"Such a shame; those students." He murmured, "They could've gone on to do so well. But they misinterpreted things… Humans have a tendency to do that. Idiocy runs rampant nowadays." He paused for a few moments before abruptly changing the topic. "(y/n), you're not an idiot. Well, not from what I've been able to tell."  
You were now reaching the campus once more. Bill walked to the book store, which was located in the center of the small community.  
"Would you mind meeting me here for tea tomorrow? I think it'd be a great opportunity to have a much-needed talk." He smiled down at you warmly as he detached his arm from yours.  
It took more work than it should have to form a reply. "Yeah, that works out… I'd like that."  
Bill grinned and gave a dramatic bow. "Great! I'll see you at two!" He straightened before walking away, his shoes making a loud clicking sound even on the sidewalk cement.


	9. Plotting

Bill smiled to himself as he cleaned his shirt. The poor thing was ridden with stains from the previous coffee incident, but he could fix it. The tailcoat, however, could not be fixed. He had to send that to the drycleaners, and paid a hefty price for it. Next time he'd consider that before pouring the scalding liquid onto his face. Nonetheless, Bill hummed as he toiled away, going over the plan several times in his head.  
(y/n) was a clever girl - that much was apparent. Bill could feel the electrical impulses of every human's brain, so it was relatively easy to see what was going on in their minds. He could feel (y/n) growing suspicious with every passing moment, but there was never a logical reason for her. She could feel that something was off with him; that he was more than some aberrant, delightfully off-kilter guy. But as for what he truly was, she had no idea. And there was no way in hell she could guess it.  
That was good. Bill intended to keep things that way. He had to distract her from the truth. One human figuring out his identity could ruin everything. Sure, no one would believe her even if she did tell, but Bill didn't want to take that chance. He'd seen the trials of humanity since the dawn of time. If there was anything that he'd learned in the 200,000 years in which they've existed, it was to not underestimate them. Bill would rather have no one know about what he was, at least for the time being. Even though (y/n) had a very low chance of simply realizing that he was an astral being, (seriously, what human would just _guess_ that?) some stroke of fate could chance it. All she had to do was keep thinking.  
What was the best way to keep (y/n) from thinking about it? Bill's initial thought was to avoid her. She wouldn't dwell on a single encounter forever, right? She would move on with her life and live it in blissful ignorance. Out of sight, out of mind.  
But that was no fun. Bill didn't go through the trouble of passing through another dimension to _avoid_ humans. No, he was going to get her mind off of it, but he would have fun whilst doing it.  
And what would be the most fun way to distract a female? Well, Bill planned to be old fashioned about it. All of the books that he'd read - while admittedly young adult books (he just wanted to know what was currently 'hip' and 'with it') - pointed to the same thing. Romance.  
Girls liked all of that lovey-dovey stuff, right? He could play the kind, gentlemanly figure that sweeps her off her feet. Hah, it would be great! Having a human beneath his wing would be so much fun, like a child getting a new toy. He grinned to himself once again, humming a bit louder. He was absolutely giddy with the thought of entering a romantic relationship with (y/n). She would be completely unaware of the whole thing, and he would get his high from her confusion and conflicted emotions.  
Then, when he had her falling head over heels for him… Oh, that was the best part. He would take her high into the sky, then abruptly drop her.  
Some would say that his intentions were cruel, but Bill saw it as a mere good time. This was his first taste of human life, and he wanted to experience all of it. Was that really so bad? The thrill of obtaining a new plaything for the first time was equally matched by the excitement of breaking it. In the same sense, toying with (y/n) and watching her grow would be just as fun as tearing her down. It would also get the job done, seeing as how (y/n) would probably be more focused on the budding romance – and eventual devastation – than on pondering what was truly up with him.  
Bill envisioned how she would look when he boosted her up. He knew how to make someone happy, and he could guarantee that he would give her the time of her life. Humans were easily pleased, so it would be a piece of cake. But Bill also knew how to make someone suffer. When he cut her, he would go for the jugular. There would be no mercy. Anguish was essential for his personal enjoyment, and anguish he would receive. The glory of knowing that he was capable of causing happiness and pain to even one human would make the entire trip worth it.  
Perhaps Bill was a bit power-hungry, but so be it. He had to do this for himself. He was what the humans would call a god, and he needed some degree of proper treatment. Although full recognition was impossible due to it compromising his identity, he craved to be looked upon with fear, wonder, and envy. He might as well start small, and (y/n) was the lucky winner.  
A true romance would require an immense amount of contemplation. Luckily, Bill was the man for the job. He wanted the whole number to go without a hitch. Building a relationship typically took a large amount of time, but Bill would use every trick in the book to hasten the process while still maintaining good quality. Flowers, small tokens of appreciation, confessions of his false affection… He could, and _would_ draw her in within a heartbeat. He would be the perfect gentleman, and the most sinister villain. The emotional turmoil of the humans were amusing to the say the least, and Bill required their extremes like caffeine. He would sketch out as many intricate plans as he needed in order for this to happen.  
It had to be perfect.


	10. Tea and Flowers

Bill had left you with such strange signals yesterday that you were at a loss on how to approach this. What kind of meeting was this? Did he intend for this to be a short date, or a simple friendly talk? Perhaps it was something in between? Why were you getting so worked up over this? You silently cursed Bill's charisma. If it weren't for his flustering charm you would have a much more level-headed attitude towards this.  
What to wear? You normally weren't too extremely concerned over attire, but Bill was an extremely sharp dresser. You didn't want to come underdressed, but appearing too snappy would be embarrassing. You needed something that looked could pass for both casual and slightly formal. Then you found it.  
Dresses weren't something that you wore all of the time. You weren't an extreme girly girl, but they were nice to have for occasions. This was definitely the appropriate occasion.  
You bought it about a year ago, but never got a chance to wear it. It was a yellow sundress with black lace towards the hem. It had broad black straps, and went down to your knees. It was of decent length, but short enough to allow you to move freely.  
It looked adorable on you. You grinned at your choice of clothing, glad to have finally found something that would suffice for whatever Bill decided to throw at you, whether it be a date or a meeting. You threw on some black flats, and grabbed your wallet before exiting the dorm.  
It was a bright and sunny day outside. The air was cool, but not enough to leave you in want of a jacket. It was pleasant, and the vast expanse of azure hanging over your head provided a nice backdrop for the changing trees.  
The walk to the book store was short and sweet. You arrived within five minutes, walking inside and strolling to the seating area. The front part of the store was almost like a miniature café. They served coffee, tea, and small baked goods, and it made the rest of the store smell like heaven.  
Bill was already there waiting for you. He brightened up upon catching sight of your dress. A grin spread across his face as he greeted, "Yellow, (y/n)!"  
You could say the same for him. Bill wore a white oxford shirt with a bowtie, and black slacks. However, instead of his normal tailcoat, he wore a yellow vest. It had the same pattern of bricks towards the bottom, but the eye of providence was instead patched to the front, just above his heart.  
"Hello Bill." You answered, smiling slightly in return. Although you were still confused as to what this was, the other's happiness was strangely contagious.  
"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of getting these before you arrived." Bill said as he pulled three flowers from behind his chair. It appeared to be a strange, ragtag ensemble of flowers held together with a yellow ribbon. The narrow assortment consisted of a small sunflower, a white tulip, and a large black magic hollyhock.  
You smiled at how well they complimented each other. You tentatively took the flowers, gently handling them due to their fragile nature. "Thank you….!"  
"Well of course; pretty flowers for a pretty lady." Bill responded as he folded his hands on the table, "That _is_ the proper way to court a woman of your stature, no?"  
"Stature..?" You inquired, not following what he implied.  
"Intellectual stature, of course. Your significance lies in that pretty little head of yours. As I've said earlier, you're sharp. Any ditzy girl off the streets would fawn over a simple rose. I wanted to get you something a bit more… unorthodox." Bill said as he crossed his legs, "I can't try to please you with just anything, you know. That wouldn't be appreciative of me."  
"That makes me sound really high maintenance…" You murmured, not sure how to react to his statements. The sheer archaic way in which he approached this was off-putting. But it had a charm to it.  
"Oh, yes. But not in the way you're thinking." Bill said with a gleam in his eyes. He took a pause from speaking as the waitress came and set two cups of tea on the table. After she left, he took a sip and smiled again. "Ah, chamomile. Lovely."  
You took a sip of the tea, enjoying its warmth as it went down your throat. It was indeed nice, and it gave the meeting an even stranger feel. No one went out and got tea anymore. This, just like Bill's speech, was a practice of the past.  
"You are high maintenance because I see your value, and admire it. It's not bad, because I'm the one making you so. You're not demanding; not in the least. I just know how to properly treat a lady." Bill explained as he sipped his tea.  
His words once again flustered you. You stared down as a blush spread over your cheeks, causing Bill to chuckle lightly.  
"You're adorable." He murmured as he set his cup of tea back down, "Especially in that dress." He propped his elbow on the table and rested his head on his hand. "Look at me."  
You did so, slowly raising your gaze until your eyes met his. His eyes were entrancing; they gripped your vision and refused to release it.  
"I asked you here today because I wanted to inquire something of you." He said, maintaining eye contact. He paused for what felt like an eternity before continuing. "I admit that this is sudden, and I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable. But love works in mysterious ways, and I am absolutely smitten. Don't feel pressured to answer at this exact moment, but I was wondering if you would be mine."  
The revelation caused you to blush even more, and become speechless. Bill seemed to expect that, because he quickly picked back up where he left off.  
"We can take our time. If you'll give me a chance, I promise you won't regret it. I'm not doing this to get in your pants; sex is of no interest to me. In fact, I'd prefer to avoid that altogether. I just want to have a nice romantic relationship with the girl I'm falling head over heels for. So, if it's alright with you, I'd like to take you out on a date. A proper date." Bill threw the ball into your arena.  
He was correct; this was indeed sudden. You just met the guy a few days ago, and in that time a lot had happened. But you supposed that it wouldn't hurt to give him a chance, right?  
"Y-Yeah.." You responded, "I'd like that.."  
Bill grinned, staring you with an expression of both relief and joy. "Lovely. You've no idea how happy you've made me."


	11. A Date P1

It couldn't have possibly worked out better. Bill was over the moon with how well his plan seemed to be panning out. All it took was a bit of effort, and he could practically sweep (y/n) off her feet. Hey, that was a good idea; maybe he would try to go for that. It was a lovely figure of speech, but how would she react if he took it literally? He'd also have to do something else thoughtful. Perhaps a love note?  
He had even admitted that he was rushing this onset of the relationship, and that was still pulling it a bit too far. She'd probably just be creeped out if anything. He wasn't suggesting that creeping (y/n) out _wasn't_ fun, but it probably wasn't the most efficient way in which to hasten things.  
Now he really had to get crafty. He required something small; a token, really. But it still had to make (y/n) blush. He hadn't been expecting for the flowers to work out as well as they did, but he wasn't complaining. If it got (y/n) to believe the things he told her, then so be it. Actually, it was kind of nice to have her trust simply handed over in exchange for flowers.  
Jewelry. Girls liked jewelry, right? Nothing expensive, but something that he could make. He had to show that he was thoughtful and cared about her enough to spend his time making something. Yes, that would be perfect. He'd have her falling for him by the end of the day.  
It was Saturday - the day that he'd scheduled the date. He'd had tea with (y/n) on Thursday, and he hasn't been able to stop thinking about it since. His mind had a strange type of autopilot; it hitched onto whatever train of thought it desired and rode it into oblivion. Once he began plotting, he couldn't stop. He'd planned out the whole date, taking every course of conversation into consideration. Although the incessant ponderings did become a bit irritating when he wished to focus on something else, he supposed that he wouldn't have to face the problem of running out of things to say to (y/n).  
The tailcoat had returned from the drycleaners. Much to Bill's delight, they had done an excellent job with what he'd previously thought unsalvageable. He got off of disaster with a mere slap of the wrist, and for that he was thankful. Because really, losing such a sharp coat would be a tragedy of the severest degree.  
Now it was off to the arts and crafts store. He collected string, beads, and materials in which to make small trinkets to put on the necklace. He supposed one could say that he knew how to _charm_ a girl, eh? He grinned at his own mental pun and walked to the counter, purchasing the items. The cashier girl seemed to be surprised at seeing a male buying such things. The crafts store was dominated by women, after all. However she made no comment, and the transaction went smoothly.  
Bill returned to his dorm room, speaking to a few fellow students as he passed. He'd managed to make a few "friends" - they were really just more minor pawns, really - during his time at the university. He couldn't very well continue the relationships Ruben had previously possessed, because his friends noticed him begin to act strangely and no longer wanted anything to do with him. That was alright, though. As it turned out, Ruben was a frat guy. Heh, who knew? They didn't seem to mind his strange change of behavior at all. In fact, they encouraged it. Ruben apparently wasn't much of a social guy before, but now that Bill possessed him, he was the life of the party. His brothers just saw it as him finally deciding to "lighten up."  
Bill went to his room and began to work on a necklace. It was a bit tricky to maneuver the wire and string through the beads, but he managed it. In fact, within a few minutes he had become rather deft at the task. All it took was a bit of practice, and Bill possessed the skills of a professional. He made a simple piece consisting of transparent wire threaded through black and yellow beads that switched upon regular intervals. A silver triangle hung from the center of the necklace, each side measuring roughly three inches. It was merely an outline, and the center was left hollow. He took a few minutes to admire his work, then figured that he should get ready for the date. He had to look his best for his lady, after all.  
Bill went to the barbershop down the street. It was classic in style; two candy-cane striped poles stood outside to mark the business. The owner of the place was a larger man who dressed in black slacks with a white button-up and suspenders. He was a sharp dresser, and Bill liked him. Bill had yet to put on his tailcoat, and wore an outfit that matched that of the owner. The coat was carefully situated over one shoulder, and the necklace was stored within his breast pocket.  
No one else was in the shop at the time. The barber sat Bill down at a chair and draped an apron over him. "What have you today?" He asked.  
"A shave. And as for the hair…. Something snazzy. I've got a date in a couple of hours." He grinned at the barber in the mirror.  
"You've got it, buddy." The older man said as he pulled out a straight razor and began to set to work on shaving Bill's face. "So, who's the lucky girl?" He asked with a knowing smile.  
"Ah, she's a college student. I am too, but I'm a class above her. She's at the top of hers, and I at the summit of mine. She's not too tough on the eyes, either." Bill said as he watched the man work. Something about allowing a human to get so close to his face with a sharp and dangerous object was amusing.  
"Sounds like a good match. You're lucky, pal." The barber said as he finished up the shave, "I'll have you looking right sharp for that date of yours." He cleaned the razor before slightly wetting Bill's hair. He rotated the chair 180 degrees so that Bill could no longer see himself in the mirror. Then he set to work on his hair.  
Bill had faith in the stranger and allowed him to work as he pleased. He clearly had his experience in the hair cutting business, and Bill wasn't going to underestimate it. After a few minutes of the consistent snipping, the barber turned the chair back around. What Bill saw made him smile.  
It was the perfect hair style. Suave, but bold nonetheless. It was a bit spikey, and had a lovely flare to it. He smiled at the barber and said, "Brilliant! How much?"  
"For this? It's on the house. Now go get your girl." The owner replied as he removed the apron and smiled with the wisdom common to those of his age. Bill chuckled, knowing that the knowledge of the man's entire life was but a speck in comparison to his own.  
"Thank you, I appreciate it. Expect my business henceforth!" Bill said as he picked his coat up from the chair and slipped it on. It was great to have it back – the previous meeting felt awkward without it. He picked up his top hat and set it upon his head, his new hairstyle even visible beneath it. After grabbing his cane and adjusting his eyepatch, Bill tipped his hat to the man and set out the door. "See you around!"  
Bill continued down the sidewalk, walking towards the girls' dorm in which (y/n) resided. He saw her already waiting outside, and quickly trotted over to her. "(y/n)! I'm sorry I'm late, darling! I hope I haven't made you wait too long."  
"Oh, no," (y/n) shook her head, "I've only just gotten out here."  
"Lovely." Bill sighed in mock relief, "Now I can accompany you to our destination, yes?" He placed one hand on his hip again, watching as (y/n) linked arms with him. He could feel her emotions, and she was still adjusting to his archaic manners. Good.  
Bill set the pace. It was brisk, but not uncomfortably fast. He stayed on the inside of the sidewalk, as a gentleman always should. Although that little detail seemed insignificant, it was just as planned as everything else. The proper gentleman would always walk on the inside of the street, so as to protect the woman from whatever dangers the road held. It was a tradition that went back to Elizabethan times, when the streets were filled with all kinds of shit (both figuratively and literally). The women and children were allowed to walk near the walls so as to be shielded from the filth, but the men were forced to take the brunt of it. Hah, Bill remembered watching those unfortunate guys start the tradition. It was good, quality entertainment.  
Bill hummed joyfully as he walked. It was an upbeat little tune he'd heard while listening to different types of music. In his millennia of watching the humans, he'd seen the evolution of music since its birth, when some caveman first hit two rocks together and invented percussion. Now that he was getting to experience human life, he had a chance to understand the music that he'd observed for so long. That was why he spent hours sifting through all different genres, feeling how the sounds released various forms of chemicals within his brain.  
At first he fell in love with light rock, but then he grew fond of classical. Then there were a few crossovers, folk and oldies. But then Bill found 30's music, and took an especial liking to it. Something about it just held a certain charm. He'd found a march by the name of _The Big Cage,_ and had it stuck within his head for the past few hours. He hummed it now, albeit at a much slower pace than which it was originally intended to be performed.  
(y/n) was still wondering. She could feel that something was up, and she wasn't losing sight of that intuition. Over a heartbeat Bill almost became concerned. For a dangerous moment (y/n) was on the cusp of suspicion, but luckily the moment faded as she used human logic to dismiss it as his eccentric attitude. Good, good. He could pull this off.  
Bill lead (y/n) to the movie theater, where he purchased two tickets for a scary movie. He wasn't the kind of guy to take a girl to a romcom on a first date. The classic horror film was tried and true. Besides, he'd been wanting to do this for quite some time.  
Bill walked into the theater just as the trailers ended. He sat next to (y/n), and began to watch as the film began. It was eerie right from the start, which was just how he liked it. He could sense the growing suspense of the full room, the nervous anticipation of every human funneling into a massive stream of anxiety. It was like a drug that he could get high from.  
So he did. It filled him with glee, lifting his spirits high into the atmosphere. He wasn't completely out of it like humans when they were on drugs – he still possessed all senses of logic and awareness – but he couldn't help but giggle to himself whenever a scream was elicited from the over-exited beings. Some of the people here were so easily frightened that it was comedic. He could feel the mass of adrenaline, and it made him rather merry.  
Bill was so preoccupied with the terror of others that he almost didn't notice (y/n)'s own fear. He froze, glancing over to her with curiosity in his eyes. She was staring at the huge screen, rapt by what she was seeing. It was one of those slow build up moments in which they take an agonizingly long time to set up the perfect jump scare. As the tension began to grow, so did (y/n)'s anxiety. He could feel her chest tightening as she waited helplessly for whatever would happen next.  
Bill closed his eyes and promptly stopped time.  
It was easy, really. He _was_ a being that existed in the fourth dimension. His ascendance into the third meant that he had to obey the laws of physics and logic, but that agreement held no merit when he was at least partially in the fourth dimension. That was what he did – he partially left his body through inducing himself into a trance-like state. There was just enough of him left to hold claim to Ruben's body, but the rest of his being transcended into the higher dimension, where time was thrown into the equation of existence.  
From there it was a simple as breathing. He stopped the scene, watching (y/n) intensely. He didn't know what he felt, but he enjoyed it. He could sense her fear, and he wanted to experience more of it. She seemed so vulnerable, like Bambi when he was being hunted down. He liked that – he liked it a lot. It was almost like a natural predator instinct kicked in within him. But it wasn't the kind that made him want to kill. No, this was more torturous than that. He wanted to play around with (y/n), and make her even more terrified. He wanted to see just how scared she could get.  
So after that brief moment he took to clear his thoughts, he returned to his body and reset time. It picked up right where it left off, as if nothing had happened. Everyone was just as anxious as they previously were.  
Everyone except for (y/n).  
Something had happened. It was almost like she had _sensed_ the interruption in time. It unsettled her, and made her even more jumpy. Bill certainly didn't mind that, but he couldn't have her realizing that anything had happened. The revelation only confused Bill. How was it that (y/n) was the only person out of a full theater of people that was able to feel the disturbance? He couldn't allow her to think about it too much-  
Luckily the movie provided the perfect distraction in the form of an excellently-timed jump scare. He himself never even blinked, but everyone else jumped out of their skins. Once again, their sudden terror provided a lovely feeling for Bill, who fed off of their displeasure. But something stopped him from enjoying (y/n)'s.  
She accidentally leaned into him, reacting more on instinct than anything else. That surprised Bill somewhat, if only because he figured that she wouldn't trust him. She could still feel that something was off about him, even if she wasn't currently thinking about it. She also thought that this romance thing was escalating a bit quickly, so it would make more sense for her to take physical contact a bit more slowly. But it was clear that when pumped full of adrenaline, she wasn't thinking clearly.  
Not that Bill minded. The horror film was tried and true for this specific reason. He wrapped his arms around her in response, holding her closely and comforting her. That was what gentlemen did; they comforted their lady.  
But this wasn't right. He wasn't enjoying it like he should have been. Something was stopping him. Bill frowned, concentrating as he felt (y/n)'s fear. He could be absorbing that, just as he was doing to everyone else. But he couldn't. It wasn't the same.  
That was the first sign of a hitch in his plan.


	12. A Date P2

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p style="display: block;" Bill was like a child whose tastebuds had changed, making him no longer enjoy his favorite soda pop. He was rendered almost distraught by this unpleasant surprise. Moments ago he had been waiting in anticipation to feel (y/n)'s fear; he'd even stopped time to savor the moment just before gratification. Now that he'd taken a huge gulp of the metaphorical soda, he realized that it now tasted horrible. He needed to spit it / Bill's arms wrapped around (y/n) in a comforting manner, and her fear quickly disappeared. It was only a mere jump scare, after all. It lasted perhaps half a second – just long enough to give a human a heart attack. (y/n) was no longer afraid, but Bill could still sense the adrenaline pumping through her veins. It was the bad taste left in his mouth after the / The whole point of seeing a horror film with (y/n) was to frighten her. She would grow closer to him in the process, inasmuch as he was the strong rock to lean on whenever things got intense in the movie. At the same time he could enjoy her fear, and gain from her distress. It was a win on all accounts. Or so he had / Now that he could no longer derive pleasure from her fear, the fun was gone. Bill had enjoyed the sheer irony of what he was doing – savoring the emotional turmoil of the one he was trying to court – but now it was ruined. Never in a million years would it occur to him that he emwouldn't /emcherish the terror of a human. That's why this development hit him so / Bill's expression faltered. It was a good thing (y/n) was caught in his embrace, and therefore not looking at his face. He was so shocked by his own inability that he went along with it. It didn't take long to calm (y/n) back down – a mere second, really – but he was hesitant to release her. Once she had straightened herself back up, Bill took her hand and held it for the rest of the / The whole thing was surreal. Bill didn't want (y/n) to feel scared anymore. That statement, while true, was ridiculous. He had no reason to act this way. Bill began to contemplate what was going on within him. Were there hormones at work here? Ruben's body was still changing, and his brain was having trouble keeping up with Bill's sudden / No. If there were chemicals trying to regulate Bill's emotions, he would have felt them. He felt everything in his body all the time – he could feel his heart beat, the thousands of tiny chemical reactions that occurred when he took in a lung-full of oxygen, the multitude of cells being made and lost within every second of his body's existence.. Everything was working in / Bill became internally confused for the first time in his life. It was a good thing that the theater was dark, because his facial expression reflected his exact / The movie ended shortly after. Bill stood and walked with (y/n), leading her out of the theater and back outside. The sky had grown overcast, and it became evident that rain was impending. Bill walked at a brisk pace once again, taking (y/n) down the / "Some movie, huh?" He murmured in an attempt to make small talk. He had regained his composure, and once again held up the perfect gentleman faç / "Yeah.." (y/n) responded, still a bit shaken from / Bill didn't blame her. It was a pretty hardcore movie for a human. Lots of jump scares, lots of gore, a decent plot. The film itself would have been amusing had he been able to enjoy the fear it / Bill entered a café, which was of decent reputation but not completely formal. He was seated at a booth, where he sat adjacent to (y/n). He put on his best smile, and began to speak once more. "Oh, I've made you something." He said as he fished the necklace out of his pocket. He extended his hand, the jewelry resting in his / (y/n) gently took the necklace with a look of happiness. She observed it for a few long moments, and appeared to like what she saw. That was good; very / "Thank you…!" She spoke, surprised by his / "But of course. Here, allow me to do the honors." He said as he stood and walked over to her. He cleared her hair from her neck, and gently placed the necklace around her. He clasped it in the back, then allowed her hair to fall back in place. His hand gently brushed against her skin, causing goosebumps to form in its / At least he still had a good effect on her. Bill smiled to himself as he returned to his seat, clasping his hands on the table in front of him. (y/n) had no idea what she had just allowed him to / In his universe, every being had their mark. It was typically whatever form they found themselves taking, and bearing the mark of another typically meant sudden death. Once you wore the symbol of someone else, they could draw upon your energy – your power and life force – whenever they pleased. Occasionally some weaker beings relied upon each other, and wore each other's mark. However, that was exceedingly / (y/n) now wore his mark, and thus agreed to be his prey. Or, well, she emwould /emhave been his prey, had they been in his universe. That was okay, though, because he would claim her just the same here. He was here to cause her pain, and devastate / "You look lovely." Bill said with his usual charisma, "Even more so than usual, if that's possible."br / (y/n) blushed a bit, but appeared to be less sedate than usual. She squirmed a bit, then looked up at him in a beseeching manner. "Look, Bill, I just met you a few days ago… I don't even know that much about you." Bill could feel her suspicion growing when she spoke. She still knew that something was up with / Well, it wouldn't be fun if there wasn't a challenge. Bill supposed that he'd just have to be a bit more persistent in his efforts to draw her away from his… uniqueness. He smiled before responding, "Well, (y/n), that's why I want to change that. We can spend as much time together as you'd like, and take it at your pace. I'm here for emyou, /emafter all. And I am completely transparent. Go on, ask me as much as you'd like."br / "Okay.." (y/n) said with an arched brow, clearly finding this to be a bit odd, "Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?"br / "Ah, excellent question. I'm definitely not from around here; in fact, I'm from rather far away. Oregon, to be exact." Bill continued to smile. It wasn't exactly a lie – Ruben wemas/em from / "What about your family? Any siblings?" (y/n) / "Yes. An older brother, but he's out west working in a law firm. My whole family consists of attorneys, actually." Bill rolled his eyes, "Bunch of stuck-ups. I was always a black sheep."br / "Oh. Why…" (y/n) hesitated, "Why do you always dress and act so… formally?"br / "Well, it's a lost art, my dear!" Bill responded with a bright grin, "No one wears top hats or tail coats anymore. It's sharp, professional, gentlemanly, and memorable. That's what I shoot to be, after all. I want everyone to remember me." He spoke the last bit almost ominously, and (y/n) picked up on it. She didn't comment, however, deciding that it was just her / Humans; they were so /br /br / After they had finished eating and Bill had showered (y/n) in a plethora of compliments, he took her back outside into a different kind of shower. It was pouring down outside, the aforementioned rain having come as promised. Bill pulled an umbrella from his coat, having come prepared. He shrugged off his tailcoat and wrapped it around (y/n)'s shoulders, then proceeded to shake open the umbrella and hold above / She appeared grateful, but also concerned. "But Bill, you're going to get wet-"br / "It's just a little water, darling!" Bill responded as he walked her home, or at least back to the dorms, "It is of no inconvenience to me."br / By the time they had reached the dorms, Bill was soaked from head to toe. His blonde hair fell in wet strands around his face, giving no concern to rhyme or reason. (y/n) shrugged off his coat and gave it back to him, but Bill continued to hold the umbrella over her for a few more / "I'll see you soon?" He asked, appearing hopeful. The whole point of this date was to set up later ones, and eventually win her heart over so he could break / "Yeah, you will." (y/n) responded, smiling up at / Perfect. This was working out perfectly. He smiled again, saying, "Lovely." He leaned down, pecking her on the cheek before ushering her inside, where it was dry. Before she could respond he was down the road again, going towards the boys' / As soon as he entered his room, Bill let the façade drop. He frowned, walking to the bathroom and changing into dry pajamas. He hung up his clothes, allowing them to air dry for the time being. He stared at himself in the mirror, observing how he'd changed in the past few / There were no longer bags beneath his eyes. The sudden lack of stress and decent amount of sleep had fixed that. He was now clean-shaven, and his hair had been cut. It was amazing how much he had changed from Ruben's disheveled appearance. But something in there was wrong. It had to be. Bill could no longer enjoy (y/n)'s fear, and that was a major / There was no logical reason why he semhouldn't /embe able to enjoy it. He always thought that humans were hilarious when frightened, and he had been able to thoroughly appreciate the terror of the other people in the theater. So why couldn't he for (y/n)? An inkling of fear sparked inside him as he realized that he might be developing / That was the worst possible thing that could happen. Bill was here to toy with the emotions of others; not feel them himself. He frowned, deciding that he would have to work on being crueler. He had to go kick a puppy or something; anything to get this horrible thing out of / It appeared that he'd have to put in a bit more effort if he wanted his plans to work out smoothly. /p  
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	13. Triangles

You awoke in your room to a sharp burning sensation against your collarbone. You shot up in bed, reaching towards your neck. Your fingers wrapped around hot metal, and you quickly released the charm. It was the necklace Bill gave you; you'd forgotten to take it off the previous night. Standing with uncanny speed, you dashed to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror.  
The triangular piece of the necklace was red-hot. It glowed a cherry color, and you could see the heat radiating from it. It made contact with your collar once again, making you yelp in pain. You quickly unclasped the necklace and threw it into the sink, where you turned on the faucet. Gelid water flowed over the charm, quickly turning into steam as it made contact.  
You stared at your neck in the mirror, tugging on the collar of your shirt to gain a better view. The charm had left a large burn. The skin where it had lain was now pink and tender to the touch. You exhaled sharply before finding some treatment for it.  
When your wound was tended to you returned to the sink. The water was still running over the now-cooled necklace. You turned off the faucet before hesitantly reaching down. You tapped the triangle, and, finding that it was now of an acceptable temperature, elected to pick it up.  
The charm was no longer the shiny metallic color it had previously been. It now appeared to be made of pure obsidian, matching the pattern of beads that lined the chain. You stared at it in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just taken place.  
You put the necklace up and tried to forget about it. There really wasn't anything else that you could do. No one would believe you if you told them; you weren't even sure if you yourself believed it. The burn had been treated, and the object in question was out of sight. That was all you could do for the moment.  
What could Bill have done to the necklace to make it act in such a way? Necklaces don't just spontaneously combust, do they? What the hell was that? You thought about it for what felt like forever, but nothing came to you. There really was no explanation for this.  
Late morning came, and with it, class. You decided that further contemplation would result in a tardy, and resolved to prepare with haste. You returned to the bathroom to change out of your pajamas and take a quick shower.  
After the aforementioned shower had concluded, you stepped out and began to get dressed. Then you noticed something in the mirror. Turning to face it, you saw that a perfect triangle had been drawn into the condensation gathered on the surface.  
This was getting weird to say the least. But you couldn't afford to miss class, so you hurried into your clothes and gathered your things. You had to rush down the street to reach the building in which the majority of your classes were held. It was roughly half a mile down the road, which was a short distance in comparison to the rest of the campus. Your university was rather large and spread out, which made it a huge inconvenience to attend class. However, it gave the place the appearance of a small, independent city. Most of the time it was rather nice despite the extra hassle.  
You walked into class just as the professor began to check roll. You sighed in relief, making your way to your desk towards the top. The chairs were set up like choir bleachers, all tiered upwards to create a nice echo effect. You were on the second to last row, which offered a decent view of the class.  
After roll was taken, the professor began his lecture. It was just as boring or interesting as usual, and you took notes accordingly. For a while your brain seemed to function on autopilot, and you wrote notes down blankly while thinking about what had happened in your room earlier. But after about fifteen minutes or so of pondering over the oddity, you were snapped back to attention by the professor, who was rapidly moving on to a new topic.  
It became apparent that you had to devote all of your attention to class, and you happily did so. You wished to not think about what had happened; you just wanted to take a break from it. It was a mystery with no clues. None of it made sense, and it hurt your head.  
When class was over you walked into the corridor and checked your phone, which had vibrated during class. You hadn't checked it at the time because you were focused, and a good student. The home screen lit up to show the many hues of your (favorite color) wallpaper, and revealed a message from none other than Bill.  
 _Do you want to come over tonight? The frat is throwing a party!_  
You blinked, staring at the message for a few long moments. Frat parties weren't really your thing. It was just a bunch of idiots getting drunk and wasting their time. But if Bill was inviting you, you'd have to at least consider it. He hadn't lead you astray yet.  
After a few minutes of thinking it over, you responded.  
 _Okay, I'll be there._  
You still had time to get your homework done. It wouldn't hurt to go, right?

Bill greeted you outside the house later that night. "(y/n)! I'm so glad you could make it!" He said with a charming grin. You smiled in return, glancing to the house that was currently home to a plethora of post-pubescent college kids. "Yeah, I wouldn't miss it." You responded.  
Bill walked you inside, briefly showing you around. An assortment of beer and junk food lined the tables and counters in the kitchen, and the hallways were filled with people walking to and fro. The deck was populated with a bunch of guys grilling and drinking, as well as watching sports on a flat screen they had somehow managed to obtain. But the living room was where the heart of the party was at. Bill guided you through the mass of people, all of which were of varying degrees of intoxication. One guy was passed out on the floor, but nobody paid him any mind as they maneuvered around him.  
Bill came to rest on a couch, and gestured for you to sit next to him. You did so, trying to relax in the social atmosphere. It wasn't easy when there were people practically screaming their conversations across the room, but you managed the best you could.  
"So, isn't it grand?" Bill spoke from beside you, "The entire student population is here!"  
You highly doubted that considering that there were thousands of students attending the university, but they might as well have all been congregated there. The living room was so crowded that you guaranteed everyone would die in the event of a fire.  
"Yeah, it's great." You responded, albeit a bit warily. Bill didn't seem like the kind of guy who would go out and get drunk in such a manner, but he did appear to be someone who's the life of a party. He had no trace of alcohol about him, so you figured that he was going to stay sober for the majority - if not, all - of the gathering. His eccentric behavior was enough to get along here.  
"Hey Bill~" A half-drunken voice arose from behind you. You turned around to see a girl leaning over the couch, staring down at him. She had clearly had her fair share of beer, but she wasn't completely out of it. She ran a hand up his neck, starting from his collarbone and sliding up to his chin. "Wanna go upstairs with me~?"  
Oh wow. She wasn't letting up at all. You stared at the chic, noticing that she was a total bombshell. Several guys were eying her from across the room, but out of everyone, she had chosen Bill. It made sense, though. Bill was handsome, charismatic, and outgoing. Not to mention extremely clever.  
"Oh, no thanks, Vanessa." Bill said as he gently removed her hand. He laid an arm over your shoulder, smiling back up to her. "I've already got a lady."  
Vanessa, as Bill had called her, glared at you with an intense hatred. Then she huffed, and turned around as sharply as she could manage with her uncoordinated, alcohol-laden limbs. The other guys at the party were on her in a heartbeat.  
You stared at Bill in surprise. He'd really turned down sex with a ten for someone like you. Most guys would have dumped their main girl in a heartbeat. Bill really was committed, and that made him all the more strange. But it was also heartwarming to know that he was loyal. "You… You didn't take it." You murmured, still a bit surprised.  
"Well of course not." Bill said as he clicked his tongue, "I already have my love. And I don't pressure her into partaking in such lewd activities." He smiled reassuringly before kissing your cheek.  
It still caused a blush to arise on your cheeks. You glanced away, but leaned into him nonetheless. He somehow managed to be sweet when all of the guys around him were complete dicks. It was like singling out a star and dimming the rest of the sky. It only made him glow brighter.  
A familiar burning came over your neck again. You tensed, causing Bill to look down at you in concern. "Are… Are you okay?" He asked, looking down at you.  
"Y-Yeah. I'm just, ah, going to run to the restroom." You responded as you jumped up and jogged down the hall. Or, well, you briskly powerwalked. It was an extremely difficult task when there were idiots blocking the hallway.  
You slipped into the bathroom to find that no one was there. After letting out a relieved sigh, you locked the door and pulled down your shirt. Observing yourself in the mirror, you were shocked at what you saw.  
The black outline of a triangle had been branded into your skin.


	14. Emotions

Bill stared out the window of his room, watching the world outside. He observed the people moving below, taking in their paths as they went about their various activities. They all had their own lives, each as vivid as his own. He would more than likely see these people only once during their lives, as a spectator from above. To them he was just an object in the background.  
Bill didn't know how to feel about that. Something within him wanted to conquer them all. Humans were hilarious, thinking that they were the superior race. They were incompetent children compared to him. If he had that proper recognition, he would feel more accomplished. But at the same time, he didn't want that to happen. If they knew about him, they could unite against him. He could be the cause of their enlightenment. Bill shuddered at the idea of thousands upon thousands of human souls shedding their bodies and ascending to the level of the astral plane. That would be utter chaos, and that was saying something considering that he came from a world independent of logic.  
No, he would keep his identity a secret for the duration of his visit. He was here to have fun.  
There was but only a single issue with that. The more Bill thought about it, the more he realized he was becoming like them, the humans. He was growing accustomed to their manners, their laws. He became _confused._ Bill should never be confused about anything; he was an omnipresent astral being. He knew everything about everyone he came in contact with, and he could listen to the thoughts of anyone and everyone. He could be halfway around the world and still know exactly what a person was doing and thinking. At this very moment he could listen in on the thoughts of the president of this country, if he so wished.  
Yet, for some unknown reason, he couldn't predict himself. The more Bill pondered about it, the more disturbed he came. He was continuing to surprise himself, but in a rather unpleasant way. His inability to enjoy (y/n)'s fear had really opened his eyes. Now that he was forced to think about it, he began to realize that empathy wasn't the only thing he'd began to feel.  
It had started with the professor. He'd been so eager to make him rethink his life; but why? Why did Bill care about a singular human who was insignificant to everything? It didn't make sense – Benjamin mattered very little in the grand scheme of things-  
Bill was beginning to adhere to human logic, and that was the most disturbing thing. He caught the train of thought that had previously been running rampant, and destroyed it before it could continue further. No, he knew why he played around with Ben, and the other students. It was fun, and he enjoyed their confusion. He needed no other reason than that. Logic? Throw it out the window already.  
Bill saw part of his own reflection in the window, and noticed that his hair had become rather unruly. The cut that the barber had given him had been snazzy at the time, but Bill had no idea how to keep it. He sighed, deciding that he should go ask the guy. He was the expert on hair, after all.  
His clothes had gotten soaked from the previous night, so now Bill wore a bit less formal attire. He donned a white oxford with suspenders, dark jeans, and black tennis shoes. He felt somewhat underdressed, but whatever. He wasn't going to be out for long. He walked back to the barbershop, and waited for the man to finish cutting some other chap's hair.  
As he waited, Bill picked up a magazine from beside him. It was the latest issue of _Sports Illustrated._ There was some nearly-naked woman on the front. Bill raised a brow at the cover and instantly set it back down. The title implied that the magazine would be about sports, but the cover photo insinuated that it would be filled with objectified women. Ew.  
"Hey, back already?" The barber said as he finished with the other guy and turned to Bill.  
"Yeah. I need advice." Bill said as he stood, walking over to the chair where the barber had gestured for him to sit. The man wrapped the cape around his neck and responded, "Sure thing, pal. What's up?"  
"I've no idea how to tame all… _this."_ Bill responded as he gestured to his insufferably frizzy hair.  
"Hah, I've got the trick. Just a little water and hair gel.. I'd suggest this brand…" The barber said as he went to work. As he labored over Bill's hair, he began to speak again. "So, how did your date go last night? Did you get your gal?"  
"I certainly did." Bill said, a smile coming to his face, "She loved the haircut, by the way."  
"Haha, I figured she would!" The barber said, feeling accomplished. He continued to fix his hair, his happiness apparent. "I'm glad that you've got a good girl, a lot of guys aren't that lucky."  
"Yeah…" Bill trailed off, thinking about his façade. (y/n) really had no idea about his intentions, and he wanted to keep things that way. But what about his sudden development of _emotions?_ That could lead to a major bump in the road. He had to stop his bleeding.  
"Well, I don't know." Bill murmured, almost to himself. "It's just…"  
The barber paused, catching the distant tone in his voice. "Oh. What's the matter, buddy?"  
Bill stiffened, staring at the man in the mirror. "Say that again."  
"Um… What's the matter, buddy….?" The barber repeated, obviously confused.  
 _"Buddy…"_ Bill trailed off, allowing it all to click together. He stood, ripping the apron from his neck. "I'll tell you what's the matter." He spoke in a calm manner, "I've become friends with an idiot."  
The barber clearly didn't know how to react, but that wasn't necessary. Bill was moving much too quickly. He swiped all of the product from the desk, destroying the order in which they had been laid out. He went to the front of the shop, and tore the various magazines to shreds. As he returned to the back of the store he ripped the chairs from their mounting in the floor, leaving them toppled on the tiled surface. He shattered the mirrors, then walked back to the barber. All of this transpired over half a second – Bill had become a blur to the eyes of the human. It had all happened so quickly that the destruction seemed to spontaneously occur of its own accord.  
Needless to say, the man was speechless. Bill stood a few mere inches from him, glaring at him with the power of a universe beyond the stars. "Here's what's the matter; I'm stooping to your level." Bill spoke with an even and quiet voice, "You, and your whole kind sum up to less than the dirt beneath my shoes. Eventually… Eventually I'll make you realize that."  
Bill promptly turned and walked away. He no longer used his mastery of time and space, resolving to go at the speed of everyone else. Thus he appeared to go at a normal pace as he left the shop and continued down the sidewalk.  
Bill couldn't believe that he'd allowed himself to go so far without realizing it. He'd somehow found himself on good, equal terms with a human. They were almost _friends._ That will never happen again. Bill could never allow himself to think good of a human. Their very existence as inter-universal beings - whether they realized the true nature of their dreams or not - threatened him as a citizen of the Mindscape. He was here to mess around and screw with them for a while; that was it. He couldn't get attached to any of them, even if they did appear to be ants. Because the reality of it was that they _were_ ants, and far below him. But, if enough ants decided they had a common enemy?  
Bill huffed, walking back to his room. He already had enough issues with (y/n). Throwing his good terms with the barber into the equation only further complicated things. This whole experience was turning out to be more stress than what it was worth. He contemplated quitting right now.  
But Bill wasn't one to just back out of his commitments. He wanted to see (y/n) in pain, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to hurt her. He decided that he'd hang around a bit longer so he could drop her, and maybe poke a bit more fun before quitting this little experiment. It had been fun, but Bill would rather stand back for a while. He'd form a new plan - a plan to take over the ants. And this time, he wouldn't use a body. If the humans saw his true form, they would see how hopeless they all were. Bill was certain that he could convince the other beings in the Mindscape to go along with it. They were all threatened to some degree by the humans as well. Nothing would stop Bill from taking this world over.  
Bill came to his room and found that there was an unread message on his phone. It was from the guys in the fraternity. They'd informed him of a party that was to take place that night, and how it would be "fucking awesome".  
This gave Bill another opportunity. He could take (y/n) to the party, and make another mini-date out of it. He texted her, asking exactly that. However, (y/n) was probably in class at the moment. Bill supposed that he probably should be as well, but he didn't need it. He aced every test and completed every assignment thrown his way without even attending the corresponding classes. He knew all of the material anyway.  
Bill decided that he would take a nap until it was time for the party. Napping was a curious phenomenon that he never quite understood. All it seemed to do was throw off the natural sleep-wake time of humans, but they rejoiced in taking them. Apparently it was relaxing, or something of the sort. Bill wasn't interested in relaxing, though. Sleep brought to him the polar opposite of idleness. He still possessed the human body of Ruben, and with that, he had control of the bag of neurons that made up the brain. Thus he too became an inter-universal being.  
Bill fell asleep, and ascended into what used to be Ruben's patch of the Mindscape. Now it was just extended territory for Bill. He used this brief trip back home to observe the world, and gather his bearings. He gathered his energy as he did so, saving it in case he'd need it in the human world. Ah, the human world. With their limited knowledge of physics and their universe in general, they had no chance of comprehending his abilities. Although he was severely limited in their world - he had to obey by their universe's laws while residing there - he still had some of his power when partially in the fourth dimension. His entire existence was on the edge of their third and fourth dimensions, and allowed him to be significantly more powerful than the average human. He had complete control over time and space, as well as a few other tricks that he would, for now, keep up his sleeve. But in order to use his abilities, he needed energy. Energy that was in abundance in his own universe.  
After he was finished recharging, and he saw that nothing of real significance had happened in neither the human universe nor his own, he returned back to whence he came. Bill didn't fully return to his body, however. He instead went to the fourth dimension, where he decided to exist completely. This left him independent of his body, but still in the human world. It was what many people knew as astral projection, but with a few more liberties. A tie remained to his body, allowing him to keep tabs on it and make sure that none of the other beings hijacked it in his absence.  
Bill left his room, going downstairs and eventually outside. He went to the building in which (y/n) had her classes. The session was just ending, and students were filing out of the classroom. Bill waited until (y/n) appeared, and decided to walk along and observe her. She checked her phone, and appeared to contemplate his offer. Bill smiled as she responded, and silently congratulated himself. Tonight was going to be amusing.  
Bill then noticed that (y/n) no longer wore the necklace he gave her. It must have done its job. He once again congratulated himself on another job well done. He had previously charged the triangular charm with a bit of his own energy, allowing him to manipulate its properties. Thus, at a random time, he had caused the piece to brand (y/n). However, it had only done half the job of marking. Bill still had to complete the other half. He could do that tonight.  
With that plan in mind, Bill returned to his body and descended partially into the third dimension. He awoke, and decided to bide his time until the party later that night. He would take some time to himself, and forget about (y/n) for the time being. Now, what was something fun that he could do? He thought for a few moments before the realization came to him.  
The carnival, while off campus, wasn't too terribly far away. There was a huge ride that he'd been wanting to try for quite some time. Roller coasters were strange contraptions. He didn't know why humans were so attracted to the sensation of near-death, but he figured that it was high time to figure out what all the hooplah was about.  
Bill approached the gates, and paid his way in. He was given several tickets, but he only needed one for the ride he had in mind. The line was quite long, but that was alright. Bill _was_ here to waste time, after all. He observed the people in line, catching their anxiety. It was a similar experience to the movie the previous night.  
Whilst Bill continued to enjoy the distress of the random souls, the thought of (y/n) once again came to mind. He was still bewildered as to why he was unable to enjoy her fear. Empathy was a bit harder to get rid of, but he was convinced that he could annihilate the feeling nonetheless. He realized that he was thinking about (y/n) again, and frowned. He was supposed to use this time to take a break and forget about her.  
The line grew shorter, and some people exited the ride. Bill could feel their lingering excitement, and he took it as a preview for what was to come. Most of the people were still trembling from the experience, and he smiled faintly. This was going to be glorious.  
Eventually, it was Bill's turn. He stepped into an empty cart and buckled himself in. Some other single rider was thrown in with him, and Bill grinned at the guy.  
"This is going to be great, huh?" He spoke, clearly excited.  
"Yeah.." The other guy - Jacob - said as he too buckled his seatbelt, "I can't believe I'm actually getting on this thing." He was nervous, and Bill enjoyed it.  
"I can't either. I've heard great things about it, though. Heard some guy lost his spine." Bill murmured the last part, quoting a pink starfish he'd seen on some children's cartoon whilst flipping through the channels on his tv.  
"What?!" Jacob responded in an animated manner. He paled visibly, and began to shudder. His reaction was hilarious.  
"Just hang on and you'll be fine!" Bill exclaimed as the workers came over and lowered the bars. After the all clear was given, the line of carts began to slowly lurch forwards. Jacob clutched the bar in front of him so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His anxiety peaked, and Bill savored every second of it. The tracks sloped upwards at an impossibly steep angle. The collective suspense came to a crescendo along with the altitude until it was almost tangible. The climb to the top was agonizingly slow, and it took every bit of two minutes to reach the summit. The train was left suspended at the top of the hill for an indefinite amount of time. The landscape below became visible in a manner previously unknown to Bill. He stared at the city, once again feeling mighty. But it couldn't last forever.  
The cart lurched forward, and Bill felt gravity shift as it pulled them down. His stomach dropped as the g-force increased, and he let out a loud laugh as everyone was pumped full of adrenaline. He could feel their fear coming to a climax. They suddenly approached a bend, and inertia threw them all to the right side of their carts. Now it made sense why they used safety belts.  
They came to a large loop, and the entire world tilted upwards. Jacob was nearly brought to tears, but Bill embraced it wholeheartedly. He threw his hands upwards and cackled insanely. This caused Jacob to look over at him with an expression of fear. Perhaps Bill had shown a bit too much. It occurred to him that his laughter didn't sound exactly _human._ But what the hell, it was just one guy who heard it. He was too hyped to remember much of what happened anyway.  
So instead of attempting to recover from his mistake, Bill owned it. Once the loop had been completed, the train reached a slow movement in which it drifted in a large semi-circle to reach another drop. Bill's laughter died down to giggles as he felt the total anticipation arise once more.  
"This is hilarious!" Bill said as he threw a happy look in Jacob's direction.  
"What's wrong with you?!" Jacob exclaimed in return, "This is horrible!"  
"Exactly." Bill said as an anatomically impossible grin spread across his face.  
They were suddenly thrown into another unforgiving drop. The tension broke once more, and Bill let out yet another crazed laugh as endorphins shot through his brain. Unfortunately, the ride couldn't last forever. After a few twists and turns it abruptly ended, and the bars were released.  
Jacob hastily unbuckled himself and leapt from the car. He sprinted away, but fell outside the gates. Bill exited in a much calmer manner, appearing completely unfazed by the whole ride. He stopped at the end of the gate, then gently poked Jacob with the toe of his shoe.  
Jacob jumped up once more, running away almost drunkenly. He stumbled many a time, but always managed to miraculously catch himself. Bill chuckled as he watched the pathetic human run away as if his life depended on it.

Bill greeted (y/n) outside the frat house later that night. "(y/n)! I'm so glad you could make it!" He said with a charming grin.  
(y/n) smiled in return, glancing at the house that was currently lit up like a Christmas tree. "Yeah, I wouldn't miss it."  
Bill walked in and showed her around, giving her an abridged introduction to the house. Then he came to rest on a couch, and had her sit next to him. He continued to smile, albeit a lot less creepily than he did when with Jacob. "Isn't it grand?" He said, "The entire student population is here."  
"Yeah, it's great.." (y/n) spoke with a hint of wariness. Bill could tell that she was a little off-put by the fact that he had invited her to a frat party. He'd been extremely sophisticated – for the most part, at least – to her so far. It didn't quite compute with her that he would be the kind of guy to take her out to a party. But that was alright; she was sorting it out with her logic.  
"Hey Bill~" A female voice came from behind him. An index finger was placed on his collarbone, and ran provocatively up his neck until his chin was held back. He saw a clearly intoxicated woman standing behind him, smiling in a suggestive manner. "Wanna go upstairs with me~?"  
Bill thought quickly, and came up with a smooth course of action. "Oh, no thanks, Vanessa." He responded as he removed her hand from his chin. He laid an arm over (y/n), leaning towards her slightly. He looked back up to Vanessa and responded, "I've already got a lady."  
Vanessa huffed and walked away, trying to salvage what little dignity she had left The other guys would be on her soon. Bill returned his attention to (y/n), smiling once again.  
"You…. You didn't take it." (y/n) said in a surprised tone.  
"Well of course not." Bill said as he clicked his tongue, "I already have my love. And I don't pressure her into partaking in such lewd activities." He smiled reassuringly before kissing her cheek. Although his small actions of affection seemed trivial, they were far from that.  
The first half of the marking had already taken place when (y/n) accepted his necklace. That meant that she agreed to be his prey. But the second half was permanent, and he had to go through the ritual of asking permission. However, the unwritten rules of the universe allowed him to do it in a rather subliminal manner.  
Laying an arm on her in a half-embrace was the first question. She didn't shrug him off, and it was taken as a yes. The second question was when Bill had stated her to be 'his lady.' (y/n) did not reject that statement, which resulted in another yes. Finally, when Bill kissed her cheek, (y/n) didn't pull away. Once again, it was taken as a positive reassurance.  
Now he could mark her. Bill, still having his arm over her, transferred some of his own energy to her. He concentrated it towards the previous burn that she already possessed. He felt her instantly tense up, and he feigned concern. "Are… Are you okay?"  
"Y-Yeah. I'm just, ah, going to run to the restroom." (y/n) responded as she quickly took off. Bill smiled slightly when she left, doing his best to not be overt in case someone was watching. They weren't, but Bill was becoming paranoid.  
He could feel her surprise upon finding his mark. Bill was now elated that he had successfully claimed her. Now that she was fully tagged, she was permanently his. No one else could have her. No one.  
But some guys didn't get that message. He felt (y/n)'s distress from down the hallway. He quickly stood, once again using his energy to manipulate time and space to arrive at his destination in an impossibly short amount of time. He stood behind the guy who had (y/n) pinned against a wall, trying to force himself on her.  
"Back off. She's mine." Bill spoke with disturbing sangfroid.  
The guy turned and stared at him skeptically. Bill supposed that it was only natural for the human to be so. He was large and muscular, while Bill was in a lanky and scrawny body. But this guy had no idea what he was up against.  
"What did you say?" The guy said, anger working its way onto his face. (y/n) squirmed under his grip, clearly disturbed at how close she had come to being violated by him.  
"I said back off. She's mine. Heed my warning." Bill responded again, retaining equilibrium.  
The guy didn't seem to get it through his head. He chuckled, responding, "Well, she's my bitch now. How about we team up on her-"  
Bill's hand disappeared from the speed at which it moved. The guy's head snapped to the side, and a loud _crack_ resonated through the corridor. His legs gave way and he fell to the ground without another sound. Bill's arm was extended to his side, having reached the conclusion of the arched path it had used to slap him.  
(y/n) was freed. She shuddered, unable to move as she stared at the now unconscious guy. "Wh-What did you do….?" She spoke, fear emitting from her.  
There it was once again. Bill tried to enjoy it, but he found himself unable of doing so. He became slightly frustrated, but that was overcome by the sense of accomplishment he gained from defeating his adversary and helping (y/n).  
"I broke his neck, of course." Bill said, then paused as he saw that it only made (y/n) more afraid. He was disgusted by the terror in which she possessed, and he quickly tried to mend it. "No no no, don't worry. He isn't dead. I snapped two vertebrae, but not his spinal cord." He reached down, helping her up and trapping her in a hug. "I'm sorry, but I had to do it. He was going to hurt you."  
It took a few long seconds, but (y/n) returned the gesture. Bill held her there for a few moments before releasing her and taking her hand. He interlocked their fingers, and began to walk back to the living room. He got someone to take the guy to the hospital, and tried to melt back into the party with (y/n). However, he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. He'd felt _good_ about helping (y/n), and he still couldn't enjoy her fear.  
What's worse was that he had acquired a distaste to the thought of her getting hurt.


	15. Party's Passing

Slipping back into the party was no easy task. The combined stress of the triangle on your chest and nearly being raped had taken a toll. But Bill seemed to make it a personal mission to get you to lighten up once more. He did his best to show you a genuine good time, which was difficult enough in itself when there were drunken people everywhere.  
A disk jockey was brought in to liven things up a bit. Neither you nor Bill were pop-lovers, but you had to admit that the guy did have skill. He seemed to make everyone else excited, which was good. At this stage everyone was easily roused, but that was of no matter. They were happy nonetheless.  
At some point an arm-wrestling tournament was started. Although it was a bit weird, it was better than those other childish party games taking place, like spin the bottle. You didn't participate, content to watch Bill kick everyone's ass.  
He didn't appear to be the strongest guy, which was why his success was so off-putting. In fact, he looked a bit spindly and way too lanky for such a competition. His intoxicated enemies were completely unaware of his true strength until they were beaten without mercy. Even though he was defeating the other guys as easily as pushing dominos, you knew that he was taking it easy on them. He was much, much stronger than he was letting on. He'd precisely snapped a guy's neck only a few minutes ago. You watched as he won over yet another unfortunate soul, grinning in an almost predatory manner.  
Bill made it all the way to the final round, where he was pitched against a football star. He pretended to struggle against the much larger man, but lost after much effort. You could tell that he had let the other guy win, but that was alright. Cheers erupted for the other guy, and Bill shook his hand in good nature.  
As it turned out, arm wrestling wasn't the only thing Bill was adept at.  
Another intense game was underway on the other side of the house, and Bill rushed to join it. You laughed quietly, observing as he merrily took his place in front of the tv. Three other competitors stood to his right - one boy and two girls. They waited as the crowd behind them selected a song, and began the match.  
Bill did as the title of the game insinuated, and danced. But damn, he could dance like a god. His on-screen character was a woman in a very suggestive outfit consisting of daisy dukes, a flimsy excuse for a shirt, and knee-length boots. The game had him pull all kinds of risky moves in choreography to _Bang Bang,_ and the crowd loved it. Every move was perfect, and he mirrored his character down to the second. It was almost as if he knew what was coming before it even hit the screen.  
He won the game by nailing the ending pose with his arms straight up and one hip lowered. The score was swiftly tallied to reveal Bill as the lone victor. Bill laughed in an almost gleeful manner, and held one hand out towards you. "A victory dance?" He asked with a joyful smirk upon his face.  
You were hesitant, afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of everyone there. But everyone else was too hammered to remember much of what was going on anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to join him. You nodded, taking his hand and stepping in front of the tv.  
Bill chose the song, and before you knew it the two of you were dancing to _The Time of My Life._ It was much simpler than the song Bill had owned, and you were able to get the hang of it with relative ease. Bill assisted by guiding you through it, and you discovered that it really was a lot of fun. There was an extra move at the end of the song that wasn't required, but Bill insisted upon pulling it anyway. He scooped you up off the ground and held you above his head for what seemed like an eternity. Then, after the last of the music had faded, he dropped you. However, he had no intention of letting you hit the ground just yet. He quickly caught you back in his arms, holding you bridal style as he laid his lips on yours.  
It was the first time he'd actually kissed you, and it was a pretty powerful experience. The crowd ate it up, and a chorus of claps, cheers, and cat calls ensued. It was a quick gesture, and he laid you back on your feet once more.  
The triangle on your collar had turned pleasantly warm.

The rest of the night passed in due time. The party ended when the campus police came and busted them on a noise complaint. Bill quickly escorted (y/n) home, which was rather easy considering that they were practically the only two not completely drunk off their ass. He smiled at her beneath the faint light of a street lamp, and spoke with his usual tact. "Well, that was certainly some shindig, wasn't it?"  
(y/n) nodded, clearly exhausted from the energy the social gathering had required. Keeping up with everything had taken a toll, and the late hour certainly didn't help. Or early, if you were one of those kinds of people. (y/n) was clearly tired, and her eyelids were becoming difficult to hold up. Bill thought that she deserved a break.  
"I'll see you soon, my dear." Bill said as he ushered her up the stairs of the girls' dorm building. He kissed her forehead, and parted ways with a gentle 'goodnight'. He turned and headed back to his own home, never looking back to (y/n).  
She wasn't the only one affected by the night's passing. The sudden development of multiple and more profound emotions had disturbed Bill deeply, and it had taken a lot of work to keep up his act. He was rather frustrated by the time he stormed into his room. He was so angry that he ended up throwing Ruben's phone across the room, and shattering the screen.  
He was starting to _care_ for (y/n). He didn't know why, and he didn't know how. The combination of this body and the third dimension were changing him, and he didn't like it. He no longer wanted to hurt her, and that ruined his whole plan. It felt nice being around her, and he couldn't stand it.  
Bill would have tried to distract himself, but that was of no use. His inability to stop thinking about her at the carnival earlier today was enough proof of that. He was struck down by love, and he couldn't seem to lick his wounds.  
Bill clutched his head and doubled over, holding in a scream. Here he was with a much labored-over master plan, and it was all going to pieces. What's worse was that _he_ was the one making it all go to hell. He threw himself on the ground, punching the floor. He did this action multiple times, finding a physical outlet for the pent-up rage he held inside. The release was beneficial even if it did startle the poor chap living beneath him.  
Then another realization dawned on Bill. Here he was, an astral being older than time itself. And he was reduced to throwing a temper tantrum like a little kid. He collapsed, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. What had he come to? What had made such a huge problem?  
It was this body. If he weren't the presence of a human, he wouldn't be having this problem.  
But there was a solution to that. Bill grinned to himself as he changed into pajamas and slipped into bed. If he could just leave this human body and dimension, he could go to the Mindscape and meet (y/n) in her sleep. Then he could not only enjoy her pain, but find the resolve to drop her right then and there. Sure, it would be a dream, but logic was thrown to the wind when humans were dreaming. They hardly ever became lucid, and it was sure enough for Bill to bet upon it. Sure, (y/n) would realize that it was a dream once she woke up, but it would still rattle her. Then, after doing it in his original form, Bill would have the strength to scathe (y/n) in real life as well. Double the pain, double the fun.  
Bill fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	16. I'll See You In Your Nightmares, Kids

A/N: Sorry about this being short, but the conclusion is next chapter.

Slipping out of his body was easy and natural. Bill ascended through the three planes effortlessly, then proceeded to float on into the other universe. His universe. Once again, he found himself in what used to be Ruben's patch of the Mindscape. Bill took a few minutes to orient himself before expanding his awareness.  
Finding (y/n) was a cinch; she _was_ marked, after all. He was able to teleport to her with ease, appearing within her mind as a simple blue light. She wasn't dreaming of anything, suspended in the unawareness of her own subconscious. Now that Bill was free of his body, this would be a piece of cake.

Your POV:  
A bright cerulean light entered your vision and grew brighter by the second. It became blinding, and you were forced to shield your eyes from the luminescence. "What the-"  
"(y/n)! It's so great to see you! You see, I meant to have a talk with you." A familiar voice came from the mass. The light dimmed slightly as it began to shift. You were once again able to view it, but squinting was still required. The thing began to shift and contort, forming the outline of a man. The silhouette approached you as the voice continued to speak.  
"I'm just afraid that things aren't working out between us, dear." It said as it came within a few feet of you. This was kind of freaky, and you backed up in response to its sudden closeness. Your movement made the figure stop, and its head seemed to tilt.  
"Are you frightened? Oh, that's right!" It raised its arms in a broad gesture, and the previously blank silhouette began to fill in with color. As the details faded in, the identity of the creature was finally revealed. It was Bill.  
"Ah, that's better! Now listen kid, I think it's about high time that I tell you what's been on my mind." He smirked in an accomplished manner, appearing more cocky than ever. It was just like when you first met him at the book club, albeit a bit more creepily. After a few moments, you realized that there was more to his smile. An edge of insanity came from it, and you felt the hair on the back of your neck stand.  
You spoke nonetheless. "Okay.. What is it?"  
Bill approached you, reaching out with one hand and pushing you backwards. You stumbled, but a wall held you up. Bewildered, you turned to look at it, but everything was slate. There was no definition to the world in which you were in. However, it didn't register as odd. This was a dream; and dream logic applied here. Nothing clicked as out of place.  
Bill walked closer, and you scrambled back to your feet. He came to rest a few inches away from you, staring down at you with the same feral smile. It seemed too wide to be possible, and it shot fear through your veins. Your eyes glanced to his tailcoat, which had the eye of providence on it. It appeared much more menacing than it ever had, and it made you think to the triangle on your collar. "You…." You murmured, staring at the shape before looking back up to him.  
Bill paused, looking down at you with an expression of…. hesitance. Only moments ago he had been massively intimidating, but now he seemed conflicted with himself. He backed away a few inches, giving you a tiny bit of space.  
"I…." He murmured, staring at you in bemusement, "I lov-"  
He stopped himself by slapping a hand over his mouth. He growled at himself, turning and walking away from you. He appeared completely distraught, and you became concerned. You tried to move, but your limbs were suddenly heavier than lead. For what seemed like forever you were forced to watch Bill as he paced to and fro. With every passing second he became more devastated.  
Suddenly you were able to move. You walked clumsily like a newborn fawn, but you soon found your footing and rushed over to him. "Bill. Bill, what's wrong?" You asked, walking over and resting a hand on his shoulder.  
Bill turned around with an impossible swiftness, and gripped your wrist with the strength of a thousand men. The pain was sharp, and you felt as though your wrist would snap at any given moment. Bill, however, couldn't care any less about it.  
"You're what's wrong." Bill spoke with a disconcerting placidness, "Listen to me closely. Are you ready?" He paused, staring at you with an expression of extreme rage. His voice was in stark contrast to how he appeared, and it was rather alarming. Eons seemed to pass before he spoke again.  
"I hate you."

Oh look at that another POV change:  
Bill left (y/n)'s dream as quickly as he had come. He was furious at both her and himself. It was more or less a 'ragequit,' as the youth were fond of calling it. He was too worked up to carry out his gameplan, and that only made him more angry.  
He wouldn't have been able to carry the plan out regardless of his mood. He'd tried, and he'd been so close. He'd had (y/n) right where he'd wanted her, and he couldn't carry through with it. All he had to do was deliver the speech he'd been preparing for the entire duration of this little game. He'd press on her insecurities, and tear her apart from the inside out. He knew exactly how to cause the maximum amount of pain, yet he was incapable of doing so.  
He cared for (y/n), even when he wasn't in his human body. It wasn't Ruben that was the problem, nor the various dimensions of the human universe. It was (y/n) that was the problem. Bill shot up as soon as he awoke, and threw the blankets from his body. It was early morning, and he had just enough time to plot and still catch (y/n) before her first class.  
That girl was a problem; a problem he'd have to solve. She was ruining what was supposed to be fun, and foiled his great plan. Bill could fix that, though. He could make her go away, and he could still hang around and have a bit more fun. As he got dressed, Bill contemplated the different ways in which he could eliminate her. He could throw her in a lake, or feed her poisoned birthday cake… He could even bury her alive, but there was always the chance that it would backfire. Besides, all of those took too long. He wanted a quick, simple solution.  
Bill put on the last touches of his outfit, going completely formal. He once again donned his top hat, eyepatch, and gloves before walking out the door, cane in hand.


	17. Resolution

You awoke with a start, reeling from the vividness of the dream. No, the nightmare. You swung your legs over the side of your bed and made your way to the bathroom, where you splashed cold water onto your face. It did a superb job of waking you up, and you soon snapped into alertness. Thinking back, you reviewed the dream that was still fresh within your mind.  
It didn't make sense - what Bill had said. The dream had contradicted everything he'd said in the real world, and you didn't know how to react. However, there was one realization that stuck with you. You pulled down the collar of your shirt, staring at the black triangle that remained on your neck. Something about it was almost sinister now.  
Whatever Bill had done, it was crazy and impossible. You considered going to the doctor about this, but it wouldn't do any good. He or she would blow you off in a minute. Seeking professional help over a tattoo? That wouldn't do very much.  
A buzzing sound came from your room. You returned to the area to see that a light was shining into the darkness. It was your phone which had been vibrating to alert you of a new message. You walked over to it, staring at the screen tentatively. It was from Bill.  
 _Meet me at the coffee shop this morning?_  
You blinked, raising a brow. It was four in the morning; how'd he know that you were up? Unless.. You thought back to what he'd said when you first met him in the book club.  
 _I'll see you in your nightmares, kids!_  
You nearly shuddered as you realized that there might have been more to that dream than what you'd initially thought. Picking up the device, you quickly composed a reply.  
 _Sure. I'll be ready in an hour._  
The shop opened at five anyway, so it wasn't like you were being unreasonable. You walked towards the bathroom once again, deciding to take a shower to clear your head. You turned the water on, then stepped inside without thinking.  
It was colder than Satan's tit, and you nearly screamed at the shock. You jumped out of the water's way, then turned the knob forwards. You huddled in the corner of the shower, waiting for the water to turn warmer. However, the freezing spray slapped you in the face, and you began to shiver. It was taking forever for it to get hot.  
But then, it didn't feel as bad. You turned, staring at the showerhead. It hadn't gotten warmer, but you no longer felt the pain or displeasure of the water. You hesitated, then stepped into the water once more. This time, it didn't feel bad at all. It was still freezing, but the cold felt nice. It was a bit confusing, seeing as how James Bond showers were hardly pleasurable.  
It felt even better than a warm shower. The coolness was in fact so amazing that when the water did begin to heat up, you turned it back to the cold. You grinned, facing the showerhead and taking in the bitter water all at once. It was amusing to think that you had once hated the iciness with a passion. In fact, it was hilarious. You giggled quietly, then began to wash your hair.  
It was a dream, but then you saw it. As you were rinsing the conditioner from your head, your eyes traveled downwards towards the mark. You were surprised to find that it was now glowing, and had turned towards a bright golden hue.  
Having absolutely no idea what the fuck it was doing, you turned the water off and jumped out of the shower. You grabbed a towel and dried off as quickly as possible, then jumped into a tank top and sweatpants. You tried to look at yourself in the steam-covered mirror, but that was of no use. You ran back into your room and closed the door to the bathroom, blocking out the light and sending the room plummeting into darkness.  
The glowing of the mark could clearly be seen now. The luminescence appeared to be of the same strength seen in a glow stick, but it had a strange shimmer to it. Even in the dark it had an undeniable luster that should have been impossible.  
You took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. You lifted one hand and set it on your shoulder, feeling that there were goosebumps on it. Now you could feel the cold more prominently, and the mark began to lose its light. Eventually it faded altogether, and you were forced to turn the light back on. The triangle had reverted back to its previous obsidian color.  
A figure was standing in the corner of the room. You quickly turned your attention to it, then froze as you saw that it was Bill. How the hell he'd managed to get into the girls' dorm before hours and find his way into your room was a mystery to you. For a few long moments all you could do was stare at him, but that seemed enough to frighten the other.  
Bill seemed to realize that you could, sure enough, see him, and he quickly disappeared into thin air. You stared at the place he had once stood, not knowing how to react. You began to question if you had really seen him, or if it had just been a hallucination of some sort. God knows what the mark had been doing earlier, or how it affected you. You didn't feel any different, but…  
You didn't have much more time to get ready. You changed out of your clothes, and put on a casual outfit that would suffice for a coffee shop. Glancing at the time, you decided that you had just long enough to make it to the place without being late.

Bill's POV:  
He hadn't considered this possibility. Sure, it made sense now that he thought about it, but why on earth hadn't he thought about it s _ooner?_ He sighed, staring at the sign of the shop in thought.  
(y/n) had seen him while he was spying in her in the fourth dimension. No human had ever been able to seen him when he left his body, and (y/n) hadn't been able to do it previously. There really was only one explanation for this.  
Bill knew it the moment he saw her mark begin to glow. The energy he had stored in the necklace and transferred into her hadn't dissolved as he'd expected it to. That's what always happened in his universe, but this plane was the exact opposite of his home in every way. The energy's reaction was likewise opposite. It stayed within (y/n), growing and integrating into her being as it gave her power. It was almost like she was part astral being.  
Bill had been so paranoid; how could he have not suspected it coming? He knew that (y/n) had been hindering his ability to think, but damn! He frowned, clearly disapproving of the idea. He hated (y/n), but he loved her at the same time. Maybe there was a way to make peace with this. A compromise.  
But then lo and behold, the devil herself showed up. Bill turned and stared at (y/n), who was rapidly approaching from further down the sidewalk. "(y/n). I'm glad you could make it." He said with no tract of his usual charm. He had abandoned it in favor of graveness.  
(y/n) stopped, wary of approaching him. "Yeah, sure thing… But why so early? It's still dark outside."  
She was right. It was five in the morning, and he sun had yet to rise. However, the coffee shop had just opened, and that was excuse enough to get (y/n) to meet up with him.  
"I just had to talk with you." Bill said, even though that wasn't much of an explanation, "And the sooner, the better. Besides, I think that a little bit of coffee would help us both out right now." He walked into the shop, holding the door open for the confused girl before walking to his booth. He'd only been to this place once, and he sat in the same booth as last time.  
The waitress remembered him, but she didn't comment on the actions of his previous visit. After he and (y/n) had ordered their coffee, Bill turned to stare at her. "So, you're wondering what's going on. A lot of weird things have probably been happening to you." He began tentatively. A week or so ago he wouldn't have dreampt of doing this. In fact, this was the end that he'd been trying to avoid his whole time here. He first undertook this romance with the idea of keeping (y/n) from finding out what he really was. Now look, he was throwing it all to the wind.  
"I can explain it to you, but there's a price." Bill continued, "If you want to learn what's going on, you're going to get a lot more that you didn't ask for."  
(y/n) was as sharp as always. She stared at him seriously before asking, "What if I don't want to know?"  
The coffee came. Bill took his mug and sipped the liquid. It wasn't as hot as last time. Even if it was, he would bother with pouring it on himself. Pain made him feel alive, as it made every moment seem like a thousand years. He didn't want to remind himself of that – he just wanted to get this all over as soon as possible. Like ripping off a bandage. "If you don't want to know, then I'm going to have to leave." He spoke nonchalantly, "You'll be stuck on this stupid rock for a while, and then you'll die."  
He had basically just explained the concept of life to her, which didn't sound like much of a punishment. However, (y/n) had no idea what he was offering her. Ascending to his plane was much better than anything she could have conjured on her own in this pathetic little place. He was going to destroy this planet anyway, so she might as well leave.  
"What do you say?" Bill asked, pressing her for an immediate answer. "You have to make up your mind soon, because I'm getting tired of it here." He wasn't just speaking about the coffee shop.  
(y/n) hesitated, thinking over the offer. It was vague, but her curiosity got the better of her once again. "I want to know what's going on."  
Bill finished his coffee, and set the mug down with a loud _thud._ Like a gavel sealing the entire situation. He stood, and walked towards the door. "Come on, then." He glanced back, repeating the words he'd said to start everything, "Walk with me."  
(y/n) stood and went with him, linking arms as they'd done every time they went together. He walked silently, taking her to the edge of the campus. Although there were several ways to get to the city, the best way was via a large bridge that crossed a river separating the two. He took her on the sidewalk that ran adjacent to it, stopping in the center of it.  
The sun was rising now, and even a dummy could tell that the bridge was where you wanted to be should you find yourself up so early. The sky looked like children's candy; an assortment of bright colors panned out over the navy expanse. (y/n) smiled as she looked at it, leaning against the railing of the bridge to see the waters as they mirrored the view.  
"You know, a lot of things suck about this place." Bill said in an almost distant manner, "But this is pretty great." He was honest. His universe didn't have views like this, and that's saying something. He got to see some pretty epic shit up there, like the formation of the earth.  
"Yeah…" (y/n) said, returning her gaze to the sky, "But are you going to explain?"  
"Kind of. Sorry for this," Bill said as he reached over to her, "but sometimes the best way to do something is to jump into it!" He pushed her over the railing, watching her fall as she descended into the deep waters of the river. It was impossible to escape. There were currents beneath the waters the size of the Mississippi, and (y/n) was by no means strong enough to swim through them. Even with the energy of the mark attempting to protect her, it could only do so much. There wasn't enough of it to allow her to breathe under water. It had already used itself up raising her body temperature to keep her from becoming hypothermic in the shower. Not that Bill had watched her in the shower.  
It was a really good thing that it was an early Saturday morning; there were no cars to see Bill push her over. And none to watch him do this next bit.  
Bill jumped up onto the railing, balancing effortlessly as he looked down at the spot where (y/n) had fallen. He could feel her fear as she was taken under, and her lungs filled with water. Normally Bill would have been repulsed, but he was assured by the fact that he wasn't actually hurting her. Sure, she was in distress now, but Bill was doing her a favor by getting rid of that pesky body. To think that he had gone through so much trouble to get one of these accursed things himself!  
It wouldn't last long now. (y/n) was in distress now, but once her body died, she would be able to see things more clearly than ever. Bill would take her to his dimension, and turn her into a being just like him and the others. They could take over this world together. Fun!  
Bill chuckled, clicking his heels together as he felt (y/n)'s life finally get snuffed out. By this time the reflection of the sun and sky made the water turn ablaze, and each wave appeared to be the fires of hell. Bill smiled, thinking about what laid only seconds away. Then he jumped.


	18. Extending Ending and Exposition

Death. For as long as intelligent thought existed, people have been wondering what it was like – and more importantly, how to avoid it. It was no secret that humans feared uncertainty. The prospect of _not_ knowing what was ahead was utterly terrifying. Every individual held a certain sense of security, and when that stability was taken away, the cause of its disruption was immediately identified as a threat. Change, the unknown, the ever-moving river of time. Humans lived in the now, and in the near future. Death was – for most people – a dark figure looming over the eventual later part of their lives. It was a thought to be written off and stored in a filing cabinet of the subconscious beneath the label _We'll Cross that Bridge When We Get There._  
For a while, death was that distant figure for you as well. You certainly didn't _plan_ to die. It wasn't on your to-do list for today. It wasn't a date marked on the calendar – it wasn't a New Year's Resolution. You didn't leave the dorm this morning all excited about jumping into a river and drowning. But unfortunately, things worked out like that.  
The weight of the water in your lungs seemed to pull you downwards, and you could feel yourself sinking towards the bottom of the river. You'd long given up the struggle of fighting the current. It was too strong from the recent rains; it'd overflown its banks and now went toe to toe with the ancient stone levees that kept it at bay.  
You were vaguely aware of being carried downstream, and the sound of rushing water flowing about you. Your chest burned with an unbearable intensity, and it felt like your lungs were shriveling up and imploding on themselves. The edges of your vision grew dark, and you watched helplessly as the blackness encroached upon what was left of your awareness. The roaring of the tributary faded as well, turning into a dull ringing that steadily grew quieter. It coordinated with the loss of vision, until the two reached their end and ceased completely. Even the pain in your abdomen vanished, and you were completely numb. Then, with startling clarity, he showed up.  
 _"Wakey wakey, you're comin' with me!"_  
Shedding your body was more like gaining an extra appendage. You felt lighter after leaving the vessel, and you seemed to expand – like a gaseous formation. The world suddenly seemed so big and huge and real; it was almost as if what you'd seen before was a fake, plastic version of the earth.  
A man born blind has no concept of sight. A man born deaf has no concept of sound. There were other senses just as prevalent as vision and audio, but when you were shoved in your body, you lacked the proper organs to feel them. It was almost indescribable. There was a sense of energy. You weren't sure how it was that you were feeling it, but you were. It was incredible, really. You discern the very core laws of the universe through the notion of power and energy. The perception gave you the knowledge of the exact amount of energy that humans possessed, that the earth around them possessed, that the space, galaxy, and universe above possessed. In comparison, the energy of your existence was less than a microscopic speck.  
 _"It's pretty cool, right? Hey, don't look so surprised by it, you remind me of Heaven's Gate! Haha, those guys were hilarious! All bug-eyed and freaked out!"_  
You noticed another being nearby. It was much larger than yourself, and you felt that you were in danger simply by being around it. The energy it produced by its mere presence was astounding, and nearly enough to snuff you out, yet the energy it took from its environment was just as devastating. It was a horrible, brutal equal exchange. But it hadn't even begun to do anything yet.  
 _"Well, we can't just stick around here all day."_  
You realized that it was speaking to you, and you watched in awe as it mercilessly broke a hole through the fabric of time and space. It exerted a lot of energy in doing so – a dangerous amount of energy. Its size was considerably diminished, but the being was still brighter than the sun. Instinctually, you wanted to look away so that the frail tethers of energy holding your body together wouldn't dissolve. But it seemed to notice your reluctance, and it addressed it immediately.  
 _"This is the fourth dimension, and we literally have time at our fingertips to play with. That doesn't mean that I'm any more patient."_  
He was correct in this statement. You could feel time as an energy as well, as something that wasn't ever-flowing and infinite, but a measureable property that you could now influence. Yet you couldn't waste your efforts by playing with it. When you looked directly into the light of the being and viewed it head-on, you were able to see the outline of a figure within it. It was a strange shape that you'd never seen before, as it shifted with each given moment. But it was closely related to a pyramid, or a triangle.  
 _"That's it. Come on."_  
The being – Bill – left the universe through the wormhole that it created itself. You followed reluctantly, feeling every particle of your being shift and change in order to adapt to the rules of this new, foreign universe. The one key rule dominating everything – there were no rules. Energy flowed freely here, like a massive hurricane over a whirlpool in the ocean near Bermuda that also occurred with three accompanying tornadoes during a monsoon. It was violent for a tiny thing like you, but Bill stayed by your side and guided you through the complex and dangerous maze.  
As the two of you went, you began to absorb the background static around you. Had you been left to your own devices, the ricocheting energy would have torn you to pieces. But now that Bill was here to help soften the blow, you were fast on the track to further enlightenment. Bit by bit, knowledge and power filled you, like a newborn fawn learning to walk. Upon gaining the necessary intelligence you were able to see that there were other beings residing in this mess of a universe as well, and they were all staring at you.  
Bill gave you power. He gave you knowledge, and he helped you catch the energy composed of both properties as it came by you. Soon you were no longer drowning in it, but swimming. You came to understand things about your universe that others could never even dream of. Looking back at the professors at your old university left it obvious that there really was no comparison – watching them attempt to instruct was like watching a pancake teach an astrophysics class. You were now a genderless being of pure energy, knowledge, and power, residing in a universe that ran alongside that of the humans. You could look down upon them and laugh, knowing that they were all ants beneath you. Stupid, stupid ants, ants that would run around, trip over their own feet, and amount to nothing.  
You were god, and you loved it.

Bill's POV:  
It took a lot, and there were several times that Bill wondered just why exactly he was doing this. He'd never been focused on someone like this. He'd never c _ared_ about anyone before, and the feeling was still oddly foreign to him. But he derived pleasure from watching (y/n) evolve from her puny, weak human mind, and he knew that she was likewise enjoying the experience. Being dragged from the lower ranks to a position of high power was always fun for the one who was moving up. And for once, Bill didn't think that he minded having a co-worker.  
This was strange, to say the least. He should be freaked out. He should be repulsed, and he should violently beat the new being of (y/n) back down to the pathetic level of the barely-intelligent walking bag of flesh she once was. The sense hadn't completely fled; there was still something telling Bill that this was wrong. Just like humans, Bill had a basic set of instincts for survival. However, they weren't near as prominent, because Bill was a being much more advanced than those in the human universe and depended more upon logic to make his decisions.  
But then again, this defied logic as well.  
There was just something _familiar_ about (y/n). Bill felt almost at home around her, and her happiness made him happy in return. At this point she was so close to resembling his energy that it was like looking in a mirror, and he enjoyed seeing the human be brought up to his level. He really should've stopped when he realized that there was no explanation for him feeling this way.  
 _"You okay? You feel like you're going to vomit rainbows and prime numbers, or are you good?"_  
(y/n) looked to him, a peculiar expression of excitement scrawled out over her.  
 _"I'm good."_  
 _"Lovely."_ Bill responded, moving closer, _"Because there's a lot more where that came from. If you thought that was awesome, wait until you see this!"_  
Bill then proceeded to show (y/n) every scrap of knowledge that he possessed. She learnt it all, even though there was enough of it to fill trillions upon trillions of humanities' largest libraries. Bill's knowledge had torn beings apart before – case in point, Ruben. But (y/n) was different. She took it readily, taking it like a champ.  
When the whole thing was said and done, Bill came to regret it. He'd gotten so caught up by (y/n)'s familiarity that he'd forgotten why it was a bad idea to bring a human here in the first place. Now it hit him, a realization of the consequences of his actions that would be so immense that he would cease to exist. Now that he'd told (y/n) everything that he knew, she'd absorbed his energy. That's what happens when knowledge was used as a medium in a universe; that's what happens when facts and concepts were power. Bill's power had been drained, and every bit of it had been invested in (y/n).  
Now the roles were reversed. Bill was the one who was tiny, and (y/n) was the giant of the two. But she was less experienced, and within seconds Bill had withered up and died, torn apart by the static around him.

Your POV:  
At the present moment, you had far too much energy. Bill had been the most powerful of the energy beings, and he gave it all to you by sharing his knowledge. Now you were even more powerful than he had been, and he had been on the cusp of impossibility.  
Unfortunately, you were the one to first cross that line. You were in fact so powerful that you too ceased to exist. In one moment you could feel absolutely everything, all of the mountains and masses of energy and knowledge swirling around you in a vicious storm, and the next you had collapsed inwards upon yourself, wiping everything away.  
It was much like a piece of technology running too many programs and being forced to restart itself. You had gained too much power, and now the universe had to wipe it all clean. In an instant the violent vortexes of energy were calmed, and the energy possessed by each being was thrown back into the waters. Yet those who resided in the universe didn't die. You were still there, dormant as the very makings of the universe shifted about you, repairing itself after the damage you had done. Time had no definition, so at once, everything was white.

There was never a beginning. You didn't know when, how, why, or even _if_ you were created. You were like a book that lacked the first twenty pages. Self-awareness developed gradually, and only after you'd existed for quite some time did you come to the realization that you were in fact _alive._


End file.
